Straddling the Line
by mrs.shigwa.cobain
Summary: L & J, they're straddling the fine line between love & hate, and James jumps the fine line between genius and insanity. Not all fluff, war vs. evil included
1. Have a nice summer?

Disclaimer: Somebody told me (b/c my other story has no disclaimer) that I really need one. However, you all know that I DON'T own any of it. Nope, not even the plot, really. The whole Lily/James thing has been done a million times, so it's not mine, either. Anyway, I have put my own ideas into it, so I hope it won't be too superfluous to read. Hope you enjoy as well!  
  
Summary: Well, what's the summary of every Lily/James fic? ...But, b/c I like you, here's the sneak-peak that was in the outward summary: -"There's a fine line between love and hate." -"There's a fine line between genius and insanity as well, and you're a loony." -"Huh?" -"I mean, that's just a tired old cliché, Potter." -"That's the beauty of clichés, *Evans*, they're always true no matter what time period you're in." (That should help make you understand the title of this fic.)  
  
***Story begins now!***  
  
The scarlet engine of the Hogwarts Express was steaming with anticipation, anxiously waiting out the last minutes before its departure to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Students of all ages were bustling around Platform 9 ¾, greeting friends they hadn't seen over the summer and saying their farewells to their family who had to stay behind. Among these joyous reunions and loving good-byes, Lily Evans sat alone in the last compartment of the train, her trunk already stowed, wishing that they could just be on with it.  
  
Lily was a very pretty young witch returning to Hogwarts for her sixth year. She had pale, creamy skin that was splashed with an abundance of freckles around the bridge of her nose. A mop of auburn hair sat atop her head in a tidy manner and a pair of startling emerald eyes peered dully out from behind the thick hair. The girl had brains, too; she was very near the top of her class. Despite those admirable traits, Lily had no friends, or anyone she would call such. She suspected this fact to be partly due to her fiery and proud attitude, but she had an alternative reason to blame: the marauders.  
  
The marauders were a group of four boys; in fact, they were the four of the most popular boys in school. Peter Pettigrew was undoubtedly the least popular of the four, he just didn't have the same cool veneer as his buddies. With his dark, beady eyes and sallow appearance, he seemed an unlikely part of the group. For some reason or other, the rest of the marauders accepted him, and the rest of the school followed suit. Sirius Black was the clown of the group. He had long dark tresses that framed his face and chiseled jaw line. His dark eyes always conveyed a feeling of mirth and had a certain indescribable, desirable quality that drew women to him like moths to a flame. He was the one that relished in fooling around with as many girls as he could and did indeed seem to have a new girlfriend every week. Remus Lupin had the reputation of being the innocent one; the kind, sweet, silent marauder, but Lily knew him better. In reality, he took as much pleasure in making people look like fools as his friends. He may not have always been physically involved with all the mischief the boys got into, but he was definitely always behind the scenes, using his intellect to mastermind their plans. And James Potter? James had chronically unruly jet black hair, but it only made him all that more adorable. Orbs like deep blue pools stared out from his handsome face. He was, along with Sirius, another heartthrob of the school. The only girl that was able to ward off his charm was Lily. Other girls nearly fainted at his... "dreamy-ness". James was an all-star athlete, the smart ass. Well, he truly was smart. Lily hated to admit it, but he had grades that rivaled her own, even better than her in Transfiguration. What really pissed her off was that he seemed to be able to achieve these grades without breaking a sweat.  
  
So how were these boys responsible for her lack of friends? Well, the group as a whole paid her a lot of attention, which all the other boys at school as a sign to stay away from their "territory". The marauders' attention, though mainly teasing, sent the majority of the female population of Hogwarts into throes of jealousy, just because they gave her the time of day. Lily didn't understand how this should make her envy- worthy; she would like just as well if they left her alone and ignored her like the rest of the school, but they never did. Much to her dismay, said troublemakers popped into her compartment in their normal fashion. Three of them had to duck their heads so that their tall frame could fit through the door, but Peter had no trouble walking through with a straight posture. When they came through the door, they carried with them the air of merriment held by everyone else at the station.  
  
"Lils!" Sirius squealed girlishly and fanned himself with his hand overdramatically, all the while batting his eyelashes furiously. "I just can't stand being separated from you for so long! Did you miss me, too?" When Lily didn't answer, Sirius sauntered over to where she was sitting and plunked himself down on her lap. He proceeded to make himself comfortable by squishing his rear back and forth.  
  
"Um, yeah... I missed you so much it was unbearable." She said sarcastically and started to stand up so that Sirius fell unceremoniously to the floor onto his fanny.  
  
"Ouch, that hurt my arse." Sirius whined, puffing out his bottom lip, an obvious bad attempt at an innocent pout. Remus, Peter, and James, who had wisely chosen better seats to save their own hindquarters, laughed heartily at their friend.  
  
"You'll just have to find a girl who won't mind making your ass feel better." Peter suggested between chuckles.  
  
Remus made a chortling sound. "Shouldn't be too hard, eh?" Sirius shot him a withering look, then, after deeming the comment to be a compliment, flashed him a bright smile instead. However, he recovered his scowl when his face turned back to Lily.  
  
"Oh, Sirius, quit pouting, you deserved it." James said, clapping Sirius on the shoulder. "You should be more like me. Lily Flower would never drop me on my booty. But, then again, that may be because she's grown fond of my derriere, right Lils?" He tried in vain to position his head so that he could get a glance at his backside, but ended up settling for a pat to a cheek. "It's toned and muscular, I'll give you that."  
  
Lily growled. Ever since about third year, James had it stuck in his head that she *fancied* his butt and every once in a while he would brag about his "superior posterior". This couldn't be further from the truth, but once something was lodged in James' mind, one would be hard pressed to remove the offending thought. Lily glared menacingly back and forth between James and Sirius wondering which she should hex first. Sirius noticed this as his cue to exit and did so, still rubbing his sore rump.  
  
"So, did you have a nice summer?" James inquired of Lily. His words were polite, but his voice took on a mocking tone. Lily stared stupidly back at him for a moment while her brain processed the delayed thought. Soon she had thought of about a dozen haughty remarks that would set the little prat in his place, but all she could manage to get out was "mm-hm". Immediately afterward she began mentally berating herself for not dragging him down when given the perfect opportunity.  
  
The remaining marauders seemed to lose interest in the silent Lily and turned to each other for amusement. The three huddled on the opposite side of the car from her and discussed something in hushed, yet excited voices. Lily wrote it off as their conspiring for their annual "Welcome Back" prank plans and resumed staring blankly out the window. The train's journey had only just begun and she had some down time so she took the time to rest her mind and get ready for the unexpected.  
  
A/N: Yeah, the last sentence was corny, but bear with me.  
  
But that's only the beginning! Please R&R! P.S. - If you tell me how many different terms I used for a butt, you win a review of one of your stories from me! YAY! (I'll probably review yours anyway if you just review mine.) Anyway, should I continue? Was this complete crap? Tell me! 


	2. Ladies first

James leaned forward in his seat. Plans for the "Welcome Back" prank had been long finished, all that had to be done now was wait. Unfortunately, waiting was getting pretty boring as everyone else in the compartment had fallen asleep. He surveyed the passengers with a mischievous grin and his gaze finally landed upon Lily. She was always so volatile towards him that it was a refreshing change to she her face without its normal contortion of rage.  
  
His eyes took in her sleeping figure. She was actually quite beautiful, he thought, which was something he had never truly noticed before. Sure, he stole kisses from her all the time, but that was only to piss her off, and he thought nothing of it. But now... she looked so calm and tranquil. Sunlight burst through the window next to her every few seconds, illuminating the natural red tints in her hair and setting a heavenly glow about her head. All ideas of cruel pranks for her drained from James head as he left his seat and crept towards her for a closer look. He didn't even realize he was doing it, he was entranced by her.  
  
James brought his face right up next to Lily's. So close he could see each freckle, each individual long and curled eyelash, and each crease in her full lips. For some reason he never saw her in this light before, but after this moment, she was no longer "Evans". She was Lily, maybe even someday Lily Potter. The notion made his heart skip a beat. He never had that feeling before, let alone from just looking at a girl.  
  
And that, as they say, was that; it was all over. In approximately the time it takes to brush one's teeth, James had fallen in love, and fallen hard.  
  
He watched her lips part and her chest heave up and down as she took slow breaths. He studied her lips. James had kissed them before, but never with as much meaning as he felt now. His mouth watered with anticipation and he leaned still closer to her face and-  
  
"Would anyone like something off the food cart?"  
  
Erg. Perfect timing.  
  
With those words, Sirius, Peter, and Remus were suddenly animated, each chanting "food, food, food, food," with varying levels of enthusiasm. Lily, who was usually a light sleeper (especially in the cases where she was surrounded by people she distrusted), was awakened immediately as well. Her eyes fluttered open, her serene smile lingering on her lips. Lily blinked, trying to make the world in front of her less fuzzy. The first sight her brain comprehended was- Potter.  
  
"Oy!" She exclaimed groggily, angered not only by the fact that she was so rudely awakened, but that she woke to the image of Potter's face to top it off. "Back off, Potter, I can smell everything you had for breakfast!" She pushed past him and trod over to her place in line to buy snacks off the cart. James put a hand to his mouth and breathed out, taking a whiff of his own breath. His cheeks pinked slightly and he set out buying various forms of mints and chocolates to mask the foul scent.  
  
Lily returned to her seat, content with the snacks she bought, and begun to munch away pleasantly. That is, until she chanced a glance at the marauders and found James staring at her, mouth slightly agape. "Stuff it, Potter."  
  
James' eyes widened in the realization that she had noticed him watching her. He recovered quickly. "Lily, it's just that I've remembered that we've got to go to the Prefect meeting about now." Even James was surprised how believable that sounded.  
  
Lily almost jumped at the statement. "Oh! How could I have forgotten?" She squeaked, not really directed towards anyone.  
  
"Well," Sirius started through a mouthful of chocolate frogs, "you were obviously distracted by our overwhelming hunkiness. Don't stress, it happens to all the ladies."  
  
"Oh, sod off, Sirius." Came the unenthusiastic reply; it was nothing unexpected, most of their conversations usually continued in such a pattern. Sirius would say something to glorify himself and humiliate Lily, to which Lily would respond with a little nothing, except on special occasion, in which case she would threaten him. Sirius shrugged it off and shoved more chocolate in his mouth.  
  
Lily had finished packing her stuff away and advanced to the door, which James had propped open with his foot. He bowed and motioned for Lily to go through ahead of him- almost gentleman-like. "Ladies first."  
  
Lily stared at him with bulging eyes. At least he seemed sincere, but she knew him too well to truly believe his sudden turn around. Neither moved- James trying as hard as he could to be perfectly nice, and Lily trying as hard as she could to catch James in his lie. They squared off silently and Lily's unblinking glare met James' now tight smile for nearly two minutes. He sighed, removed his glasses, and rubbed them on his robes. "Ladies first," he repeated.  
  
"I know," Lily said coolly, still holding James' stare, "Which is precisely why I've been waiting for you to lead."  
  
Sirius sniggered. "Prongsy, she's a *man* baby! She's the man waiting for her lady to go first." Sirius laughed louder this time and James gave him a quizzical look. "That's you, mate. You're the lady!" This sent Sirius into more fits of giggles and James looked back to Lily curiously.  
  
"Am I now? Bugger, and I here I was thinking it was the other way around..." James' voice was comical and he contorted his face into what he thought was a feminine position and spoke to Lily in a falsetto voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were waiting for me to go first, you're such the *gentleman* Lily." This granted more giggling from the marauder corner, then James' face looked serious and he brought his head down and as close to Lily as he dared. "Oh, but Lily, I *have* to ask... do these robes make me look fat?"  
  
Lily looked slightly put out. For about a second she had believed that he was going to seriously ask her something. "You prat!" she grunted and shoved past James into the hallway. James put a hand to his upper arm, where Lily's body had brushed against him when she passed. He savored the tingling feeling for only a moment before waving to his friends, then jogging to catch up with Lily who was now well on her way towards the Prefect meeting compartment.  
  
A/N: blinkssticks tongue out 


	3. Welcome Back Prank

The remainder of the train ride was quite uneventful... that is, aside from the heated debate between Lily Evans and James Potter during the Prefect meeting. It seems that *he* found it an amusing idea to torture the poor first years, and *she*... well, she just didn't. Nearly half an hour had gone by with them yelling at each other on the ridiculous subject before something quite unexpected happened.  
  
"Oh, that's rich, Potter! Don't you remember when you were a first year, how scared you were?"  
  
"I was never scared, Evans. If I had been pranked, I would've had a good laugh and idolized the bloke who got me; maybe get him back. But, I was never the victim. Apparently the Potter name is well respected."  
  
"You are impossible! Just because you... ugh! You are such a smut, did you know that?" Lily ranted, frustrated. Her face was red from yelling. There was a slight pause in which Lily and James stared intently at the other.  
  
"You're so cute when you're mad, did *you* know *that*?" James flashed Lily one of his handsome smiles and more than a few of the other girls fainted. Lily just gawked, her eyes wide with confusion and James giggled cutely at her expression, earning exaggerated sighs from the girls who were still conscious.  
  
"Well... I..." Lily was flustered. She blinked and turned from the others in the car, trying to get a moment to think of a witty comeback. In that short time, James crossed the compartment and stood beside her. When Lily spun around, she was face to face with the popular Quidditch player.  
  
"You..." Lily started, but was cut off when James brought his lips to hers, letting all of his new found feelings for her funnel into that one kiss. All the girls left in the car held their breath.  
  
James pulled his lips back and then rested his head on her shoulder. "I missed you." He whispered into her hair.  
  
-SMACK!-  
  
"Arg! Dammit, Evans!" James reeled away from Lily, who apparently couldn't decide whether she should be frowning or smirking, so her face bounced between the two every couple of seconds.  
  
"Prick," she muttered and exited the compartment, leaving James kneeling on the floor, holding a hand to his quickly reddening cheek.  
  
In that case, the ride was by no means uneventful in any sense of the word, but it paled in comparison to the events of the Great Hall later that night, which were... eventful.  
  
Veteran students of Hogwarts filed into the hall, soon followed by the tiny first years, who had a ghastly pallor from anxiety. The Sorting Ceremony went off without a hitch, accompanied by a good deal of polite applause and cheering, but not without a few yawns of boredom. It did finally end, however, and Dumbledore rose and said a few words. After he finished with his normal notices, his eyes twinkled with mirth.  
  
"I daresay that for quite a few years now, we have not had the pleasure of a serene Welcome Back Feast, for some reason or other..." His eyes undoubtedly flicked over to the four Marauders who were, at the time, taking turns poking Lily. "So I advise all of you students, especially those who aren't used to this... *tradition*, to enjoy your meals... while you can." Dumbledore's voice was hinting at a threat, but full of delight and many of the older pupils (sans the Slytherins) chuckled at the end of his speech. The first years looked around with concern and the more *mature* professors scoffed, but the food appeared right then and everyone began eating.  
  
"It's raining." Remus observed as he glanced up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, which was bewitched to reflect the weather outside.  
  
"Huh, so it is." Sirius replied, also craning his neck to watch the stormy ceiling.  
  
"Imagine that," James added, unable to keep the amusement form his voice. Lily looked at him with suspicion out of the corner of her eyes.  
  
"What are you guys up to?" She growled. She already wasn't in a good mood from the incident on the train.  
  
"Us?" Sirius put on the most innocent face he could muster. "How could we possibly be up to something?"  
  
"Yeah, Lily, it's the very first day back. How could we have something planned already?" Peter's eyes were darting comically all over the place.  
  
"That's never stopped you before..." Lily mumbled, looking between the four Marauders, then to the ceiling. Dinner did go fairly quietly until dessert, when Sirius excused himself.  
  
"I've got to go to the loo." He explained after downing his goblet of pumpkin juice. He returned quickly with a triumphant expression.  
  
"Finally learn how to do it right, Black?" Lily mused. Sirius cringed at the use of his last name, but laughed off the joke and began stuffing himself with pie.  
  
A roll of thunder reverberated through the hall, succeeded by a flash of lightening. Seconds later, a sheet of water fell from the ceiling, a pounding rain followed, emptying the clouds directly above the Slytherin table!  
  
Slytherin girls shrieked and the boys spluttered, trying but failing to yell at the Marauders. Occupants of the other houses laughed and clapped appreciatively. Lily watched the situation critically and leaned over to James, who was sitting beside her and trying to look nonchalant.  
  
"Not your best work," she whispered into his ear. He turned to face her, eyes alight with mischief.  
  
"Wait for it..." he replied and again twisted in his seat to watch the spectacle. Lily too looked back to the Slytherin table, wondering what in the world she was supposed to be waiting for.  
  
Suddenly, the drenched Slytherins stopped moving, then, almost like robots, straightened up and formed a line. They raised their arms dramatically and...  
  
"Singing in the rain, we're singing in the rain! What a glorious feeling, we're happy again..." A unanimous chorus of Slytherins sang, their faces depicting mystification and anger. The rest of the hall was doubled over in fits of giggles, until Dumbledore dismissed the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors over the continuing serenade. Lily had to wait a moment for James as he shared a few words with the Headmaster, and they left the Great Hall. As they were the Gryffindor Prefects, they showed the way to their house's common room and, amidst hooting and hollering, revealed the password (pumpkin pasties).  
  
It took forever to get the students to their dormitories (everyone was feverishly discussing the plight of the Slytherins), but when Lily threatened to deduct house points, the room cleared out and she was left alone with the Marauders, all beaming with pride.  
  
"Why did you do that?" She asked crossly and seated herself near the four by the fire.  
  
"Why do we ever do it?" James replied and laughed sleepily.  
  
"Do you ever answer a question seriously?" Lily snapped back, clearly annoyed.  
  
"He can't," Sirius defended, "because he's not Sirius, I am!"  
  
Lily rolled her eyes and the other three Marauders groaned. Remus reached over and smacked Sirius upside his head.  
  
"Ouch! Remmy-poo..." Sirius whined.  
  
"That joke is so corny. I suggest you just shut it." Remus answered. This obviously was not the first time Sirius has tried the pun.  
  
"Well, at least how did you do it?" Lily prompted. Sirius held up a phial.  
  
"Mixed some of this pixie dust powder with water, chant a few simple charms and... voila! A cabaret affair, hosted by our friends the Slytherins." He explained. There was a silence in which Sirius, Peter and Remus reveled in their genius, Lily mulled over the plan, and James was searching his brain for something that he was sure he forgot.  
  
"Oh!" James exclaimed out of nowhere. "I just remembered, Dumbledore wants us to meet him in his office now, he told me before we left the Hall." Lily looked at James through squinted eyes. "Oh, come of it, Lily. It's not like that's the cover story and I'm really just trying to sneak you off somewhere to shag."  
  
Lily's eyes widened, as if that scenario hadn't crossed her mind, and the statement that was supposed to ease her, had the opposite affect.  
  
"Erm..."  
  
"Just come on." James sighed and grabbed Lily's wrist on the way to the portrait hole. The two walked in silence, James still dragging Lily by the hand, all the way to Dumbledore's office. They didn't stand there long enough to begin guessing at candy related passwords, for Dumbledore himself greeting them in the hallway.  
  
"I just got back as well." Dumbledore said quietly. Lily always found it strange that someone so soft spoken could be so powerful. "Whoever caused that whole mess in the Great Hall kept all of your professors quite busy." His eyes twinkled with the news. It was hardly a secret that the Headmaster had favorites, and that James was among them. It seems that his own school time antics were not unlike those of the Marauders, and he always anticipated their next prank. Sometimes, after a prank had been pulled, he could be heard mumbling, "It's been tried before...," or "that was bloody brilliant!", but only when there weren't other professors around. He had to, after all, keep up his professionalism in front of them.  
  
"So... er, Professor Dumbledore, sir," Lily started with a business- like air. Dumbledore waved off the comment with a muttering of something about excessive formality, and Lily continued. "What is it you called us here for?"  
  
"That," Dumbledore whispered, a rare look of true concern portrayed in his eyes, "is a very private matter which will have to wait until we are within the confines of my office." He turned to the gargoyle, uttered the password (licorice wands), and escorted his Gryffindor Prefects in. "Lemon drop?" he offered, to which both teens said a polite no, and the three sat in a semi-awkward silence as Dumbledore unwrapped a few and popped them all in this mouth at once.  
  
"Professor?"  
  
"Ah yes, I believe you're in need of an explanation."  
  
"It would be preferable."  
  
"Right, then," Dumbledore took his last sucks on the candies and went on in a dignified way. "I've got quite the proposition for you. Before I can tell you anything about it, you must know the severity of the danger you will come across if you accept. Are you willing to risk your safety for the betterment of wizard-kind?"  
  
The room was completely silent. Dumbledore looked between James and Lily, who were looking very confusedly at each other. Lily drew a deep rasping breath and looked meaningfully at Dumbledore. Her voice shook with fear and uncertainty.  
  
"What is it exactly that you need us to do?"  
  
*** A/N: Is that a cliff hanger? Sorry about that, but this is a pretty long chapter... but it did take a long time to get up. What do you think? And don't worry, it won't get too dark, I'll still put in some comedy and romance! So, ya think I could get... 6 reviews for this chapter, is that too much to ask? I love long reviews, and critiques, but really if you have anything (relevant) to say, I just want to know if you're reading and perhaps liking it. Find any mistakes? Tell me! Oh, and if anyone cares to try to name the chapters, go ahead, b/c I'm too lazy to do so. If no one wants to name 'em, they may just stay as default chapters.  
  
MorphManiac: OMG! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Sorry it took so long! WOOHOO!!  
  
TeenTypist: Hehehe, spiffy. Thanks!  
  
LilyandJamesLover: omg! Do you know how long I danced because of that review? Could become a favorite? AHH! That's so exciting! So, would you rather I center it more around the romance then? Because I was going to try and have it kinda balanced between that and the war versus evil. I dunno... I wanna try to have both in the story. Hope you continue to enjoy it!  
  
J.E.A.R.K.Potter: Thanks, I don't know if this classifies as a hurried update, but I tried! 


	4. Working close alongside

A/N: Yes, it's been more than a week. I had intended to get this up quicker, but I really was waiting for more feedback. But I can't wait forever. So here it is. (MorphManiac: If you did somehow miss the last chapter, I gave you a little happy birthday note. If you didn't see it, I repeat: HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY –BELATED- BIRTHDAY!)  
  
At the precise second that Lily had posed her question, Professor McGonagall strode into the office hurriedly. She noticed the uncomfortable silence that she had walked in on, excused herself quietly, and took a seat near Lily. Dumbledore waited until McGonagall was settled and set about answering Lily's question.  
  
"You, Miss Evans, will be working close alongside Mr. Potter."  
  
Lily winced. "Close alongside?"  
  
"That is what I said." Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"As in?"  
  
"Well," Dumbledore stated, trying to bite back frustration. School girls, especial Lily, could be so stubborn. "It might come to pass that you and Mr. Potter will be spending a good deal of your time together, more so than usual."  
  
"But... but..." Lily stammered incredulously. At the moment, she didn't care what good cause this was for, being with James Potter wasn't worth it. "But..." she tried again weakly.  
  
"Honestly, Evans, what *is* this obsession with my fanny?" James remarked airily. Lily's head snapped around to glare at James. The foreboding of a tremendous fight hung all about them. McGonagall cleared her throat, half to remind them of her presence, half to forestall the verbal (and often physical) battle between the two hot-headed Gryffindors.  
  
"But you digress." McGonagall said in her usual matter-of-fact tone. "You seem to be forgetting the weight of the matter at hand."  
  
"Yes," Dumbledore cut in, "this is beyond a petty fight between students. This is dangerous and should not be attempted without your full attention."  
  
"Perhaps they shouldn't undertake it at all. Albus, you know I never condone putting children in this sort of situation." Professor McGonagall chided. James pouted, obviously not happy about being referred to as a child, but Dumbledore was angry for a whole other reason entirely.  
  
"Are you implying, Minerva, that I do?" He whispered menacingly.  
  
"N-no, Albus... I only meant..." McGonagall tried, realizing the full impact of her previous statement. Dumbledore just sighed.  
  
"I suppose not... but it isn't as if this is my idea, nor do I approve either, but alas, it seems we have no choice."  
  
Lily, who was still staring angrily at James, spoke next. "You never truly answered my question, sir. What is it you want us to do?"  
  
"Well, no immediate action must take place, but I do have a task for you." He paused and Lily raised her eyebrows. Dumbledore lowered his gaze, almost like didn't quite want to meet Lily's stare as he delivered his last line. "You and Mr. Potter need to learn to work off each other. To prepare for what you must do in the near future, you need to develop senses about one another, so you need to spend all of your time together... er, get friendly." James looked like Christmas had come early. His smile seemed to threaten to break his very face in half, but Lily didn't seem happy at all. In fact, she felt like she had just been sentenced to life in Azkaban.  
  
"Bugger," was all she could get out.  
  
Dumbledore grimaced. "I know the arrangements are less than ideal for you, but you must understand that eventually you need to be able to cooperate civilly."  
  
Lily snorted.  
  
"Well, thank you professors, I believe we can take it from here." James said, standing. Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgement and James headed for the door. Lily sat in her chair, none too happy and still too shocked to do anything but sit. James rolled his eyes, lifted a kicking Lily out of her chair, and dragged her by the elbow to the door, giving a last wave over his shoulder to his professors. Lily and James walked through the halls in the general direction of their common room in a tension-filled silence.  
  
"Is it really that bad, being with me?" James asked with slightly less enthusiasm than he started out with. Lily didn't answer and James tried again. "Why do you have me so much?" Lily scoffed and James rolled his eyes yet again. "Come on, our *professional* relationship is going to remain strained until we get past this, so answer me."  
  
"Do you care?"  
  
"I do, about you."  
  
"You know, I'm not as stupid as you seem to think I am." Lily spat.  
  
"Can't you trust that I'm serious? Can't you be serious, just for now?" James whined.  
  
"Aren't I always Sirius?"  
  
Lily and James groaned.  
  
"What are you doing here, Padfoot? And why do you insist on repeating that awful joke?"  
  
"I thought I'd grace you with my humor, looked like you needed it. And I was down here because I was hungry, so I went to snatch some grub from the kitchens. I saw you were here in this hallway, so I decided to drop by." Sirius gestured to the parchment in his hand. Something on it made James grin like an idiot and Lily craned her neck to see what it said.  
  
"What is that?" she asked, forgetting her anger for a second.  
  
"Nothing, really," James mumbled hastily, still grinning, and waved his wand over the parchment saying "mischief managed". Lily knitted her brow, but didn't press the matter. If she had to spend so much time with Potter, she figured that she would find out eventually. Together, all three wandered into their common room, but when Sirius sprinted up to the boys' dormitories, James held Lily behind.  
  
"So," he started awkwardly, "you do hate me then?" Lily looked at him and thought very quickly. She tried to pull out a memory of one moment that made her hate this boy, but there was none. Really, at their first meeting, he was just so immature and he rubbed her the wrong way. All of their subsequent meetings thereafter just compounded the negative feelings, adding new dimension to his apparent self-centeredness. She nodded.  
  
"You hate me," James whispered, his head hung low to his chest. "I guess I can deal with that." Lily shot him a questioning look. "Well, you see, because there's a fine line between love and hate." Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"There's a fine line between genius and insanity as well, and you're a loony."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"That's just a tired old cliché, Potter."  
  
"That's the beauty of clichés, *Evans*, they hold true no matter what time period you are in. Besides, love and hate are very similar, strong passions. It should only take a bit of effort to get one to... straddle the line." James said confidently.  
  
"I am NOT straddling ANYTHING!" Lily huffed. James burst out laughing and Lily's cheeks flushed a deep red after grasping the full meaning of what she said. She muttered an embarrassed "good night" and advanced towards the girls' dorms with James following closely.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked hotly.  
  
"Dumbledore said we had to 'spend all of our time together'. Said we had to get... *friendly*, he did." James said while suggestively wiggling his eyebrows. Lily's nose crinkled in anger.  
  


* * *

  
"Pronsy! What happened to your face, it's all red?" Sirius exclaimed as his friend entered the bed chamber that the four Marauders shared.  
  
"Lily smacked me." James replied simply.  
  
"Twice in one day?" Peter squeaked, recalling the incident on the train.  
  
"I guess so." James sighed and flopped down on his bed.  
  
Remus wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "I thought slapping was a bad thing, why are you smiling?"  
  
"Maybe he's into the dominatrix type." Sirius suggested, chuckling. Remus threw a pillow at him. "Nah, just kidding," Sirius corrected himself, breaking into a new fit of giggles, "he's just happy because the map had a sort of magical labeling hiccup or something. The dot that should have been labeled 'Lily Evans' was labeled 'Lily Potter'!"  
  


* * *

  
A/N: Aww, see it's still fluffy. So, how do you want this to go? Romantic with a bit of action? Action packed with a bit of romance? Or an equal balance between both? Only you decide! Except of course when I do the deciding, in which case, you are screwed. (Oooh, is that pushing my PG rating?) Anyway, haven't started the next chap yet, but I do get motivated after reading lots of reviews. And while you wait for the next chap, read my newest HP fic Alliance.  
  
TeenTypist: Fantasimo? Lol, I just love the verbs you use! Honestly, that may be my driving force in writing this. I hope I didn't leave my semi- cliff hanger-y chapter ending off for too long. Does ten days count as soon? Eh... well, it's here now. Hope you enjoy! 


	5. So this is being civil

Lily ambled lazily into the Great Hall the next morning. Not more than two minutes later, she was joined by a very happy James. He didn't even get himself food, just stared intently at Lily (who was using all her will to ignore him).  
  
"So, what do you say we start you 'togetherness' now?"  
  
Lily rolled her eyes and left the table, heading for her first class. If only she had remembered James had a practically identical schedule to hers.  
  
"Shall I walk you to Charms, milady?" came that sickeningly cocky voice behind her.  
  
"I would actually prefer it if you didn't."  
  
"Oh,"  
  
"Did you expect a different answer? Honestly, don't ask questions you already know the answer to." Lily said coldly. James coughed so as to regain Lily's attention.  
  
"Well, to risk sounding redundant-"  
  
"Don't risk it."  
  
"-Dumbledore did say we had to spend all of our time together and learn to act civil to one another."  
  
Lily stopped in the middle of the hallway and sighed, clearly annoyed. "Fine. But if you try any of that... touching, I'll tell Dumbledore myself that the whole thing's off."  
  
"Deal," James agreed reluctantly, but still kept his goofy grin. They continued on their way to Charms, all the while James's fingers took each opportunity to brush against Lily's hand in thwarted attempts to hold her hand. Upon arrival at the classroom, they found a very happy looking Sirius, face stained with a bright pink lipstick.  
  
"Whoa, Padfoot, are you trying to let us in on a new decision of yours? You should have told me, we could have matched." James looked wildly around and his eyes landed on Lily. "Lils, mind helping me out? Do you know a quick way to get lipstick on my face?" James found himself trying his "seductive" eyebrow wiggle yet again. At first, Lily looked repulsed, then her faced morphed into a maniacally evil expression. She brought one hand to her lips and kissed her palm and brought it close to James's cheek. He looked like he was about to faint in ecstasy, but just as his eyes closed, Lily's hand rapped sharply at his face.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
Lily looked very proud of herself and turned her attention back to Sirius. "So, at breakfast you were single, but by first class you've got a girlfriend?"  
  
"You bet. What can I say, I'm a stud."  
  
"What's her name this week?" James asked, indulging his best friend.  
  
"Uh... Marla? I know she's a Hufflepuff, fifth year, I think." Sirius answered hesitantly.  
  
"You're a dog!" Lily burst out. Sirius straightened up and James looked alert, both looked suspiciously at Lily. "Right..." she said, confused by their immediate reaction, "I'm gonna go now before your utter stupidity rubs off on me." Lily left and slouched into her seat in the front row. James watched as she walked away, his eyes glazed over in happiness. Sirius looked over at James.  
  
"Dude, she's hit you three times already and it's only the second day back."  
  
"I know," James said dreamily, "She's fallen madly in love with me."  
  
"Uh, Prongs? I KNOW love..." Sirius paused to flash a bright smile to a group of giggling Hufflepuff girls, "and what Lily feels towards you is most definitely not it."  
  
"James giggled, not unlike the Hufflepuffs. "Padfoot, have a little faith. I know it, that's the girl I'm going to marry."  
  
"What makes you think that? She's the only girl that DOESN'T like you, you know, besides the millions that chose to adore moi. She's pretty much the least attainable girl ever... wait. Where are you going?"  
  
"I can't be around negative thinking. Besides, you know I'm no good at charms." James smiled and waved and found a new seat in the empty chair next to Lily.  
  
"Potter..." Lily was about to tell him off when their professor came into the classroom and noticed the new seating arrangement.  
  
"Very good, Mr. Potter, I think that's a fine choice. You could do well with help from Miss Evans."  
  
Mr. Potter smiled brilliantly; Miss Evans rolled her eyes. Depending on which view one picks, that Charms class was either the longest, most torturous class, or the shortest, most exciting lesson ever. Transfiguration went quite the same, with James trying to explain Animagi to Lily.  
  
"But HOW?" Lily asked for the fifth time, becoming thoroughly frustrated.  
  
"I don't know hoe else to explain it to you!" James was also becoming frustrated; if he explained it any more specifically, people might get ideas about his extensive knowledge, and he couldn't have that, for Remus's sake.  
  
"Fat lot of help you are." Lily grumbled.  
  
"How about we finish this at the library tonight? Then you can help me with charms as well." James suggested.  
  
"I can't wait," Lily said sarcastically, just before being dragged off to lunch by James.  
  
"Hey Moony, Wormtail, where's Padfoot?" James asked while lowering himself onto the bench near Remus and Peter. Remus looked to Lily, who was still being held by one of James's strong hands. He almost felt sympathetic towards her- almost; well, at least he knew how bad James could get if he really wanted something.  
  
"He said something about early dessert." Pete offered, pointing towards the doors that lead to the Hogwarts grounds. Out of curiosity, Lily followed the three to see what Sirius had planned. The first thing they saw was a giant bowl.  
  
"Oy, you lot!" Sirius called from the rim, about four feet high. "Isn't it grand? The largest bowl of ice cream, ever! Made it for Martha, here." He said, indicating to the slightly shorter girl next to him. James jumped onto the bowl and surveyed his friend's handiwork.  
  
"I thought you had a girlfriend named Marla." He whispered to Sirius.  
  
"No, no, I just got the name wrong." Sirius whispered back and smiled, "I was close, though."  
  
"Pig!" Lily accused and pushed Sirius over so that he fell into his bowl of ice cream. Martha's eyes widened and she jumped in after Sirius to "save" him. The rest of the Marauders doubled over in cackling laughter and Lily took the chance to escape James. She made for the castle and ran through random hallways, not caring where she went. That prick was really getting on her nerves.  
  
"Lily!"  
  
'Oh, right, he's athletic and he's following me. Damn.' Lily stopped running to catch her breath and James was not long to show up, panting, too.  
  
"How on earth did you find me?"  
  
"I'm just a good follower, I suppose." James said, stuffing a piece of parchment in one of his pockets. "Why did you leave?"  
  
"I... er... wanted to look at this painting."  
  
"Of a flamingo?"  
  
"Erm... yes?"  
  
"Come on, tell me the truth." James crossed his arms.  
  
"Alright, stop dragging me everywhere, I highly dislike it."  
  
"But, we're supposed to stay together, Dumbledore said. You know, the longer you're mean to me, the more time you have to spend with me, so you're better off at least pretending." James pouted.  
  
"I GUESS we can, without me being held against my will." Lily resigned.  
  
"How do I know you won't run away?"  
  
"Oh, come OFF it. I won't." Lily groaned.  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I'll hold you to that."  
  
"You will not hold me..."  
  
James looked at Lily, wondering if she had meant to say that. "Of course I will HOLD you, Lily Darling." Catching his drift, Lily blushed and couldn't help but recall all the stupid things that came out of her mouth when James was around. While she was distracted with embarrassment, James lunged forward and enveloped Lily in a tight hug. "I told you I would hold you." He whispered to her cheek.  
  
"I... will... not... be... told... anything, Potter!" Lily struggled in vain to get out of James's grip, but only seemed to strengthen his hold and get closer. Bugger him. Years of Quiddtich training paid off. She finally gave up and fell limp into his embrace until he got tired of it and let go (it took a WHILE), at which time he felt compelled to plant a loving kiss on her forehead.  
  
"Urg, Potter. Don't do that again or I'll beat your little pretty- boy face." Lily glared over at James whose face had just gone from happy to elated. "What?"  
  
"You just called me pretty..." James fluttered his eyelashes cutely. Lily smacked his arm, trying to hide her laughter.  
  
"So, trust?" Lily squeaked.  
  
"Yeah. I love you."  
  
"Stuff it, Potter."  
  
"That reminds me, I'm starving! You?" James prompted. Lily nodded vigorously. "To lunch then?" James put out his arm and Lily regarded it warily. "I'm not trying to drag you... just *escort* you." Lily took his arm tenderly and they wandered back to the Great Hall.  
  
'Hm,' Lily thought, watching James out of the corner of her eye, 'So this is being civil. I suppose it's not that bad...'  
  
***  
  
A/N: I know, it's still all fluffy, but I had to get them to be at least nice before any action came, so now it'll be here soon. Sooner than this update. (I actually wrote this a long time ago, but was too lazy to type... don't be mad.)  
  
TeenTypist: Thanks for that vote; I'm going to try for that soon. I'm glad I could enrich your vocabulary! Yes, ten days wasn't long, but how long did it take me for this one? :(  
  
Aurora_borealis: Thanks!  
  
CountessMel: If you're still reading, I will do so.  
  
MorphManiac: Don't feel bad, it's ok! Just wanted to say the HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (I believe that makes the third time, boy I'm good). And see? What you say DOES matter, flamingoes and Sirius falling into a giant bowl of ice cream happened, just for you! I hope it didn't come out dumb...  
  
Shayley Rain: Thanks! Though I doubt this counts as soon.  
  
Lily Lupin89: YAY! Thank YOU!! Glad you won't steal, but if you would like to use certain elements, just ask. I'll probably be ok if you want to "borrow" anything. Just not the whole thing. 


	6. Hold your temper

It's been a long time, no? Heh... I promise this story won't be as forgettable as it has been. The next chapter will come in at most a week. If it doesn't, I give any of you permission to storm my house with a giant mob.

------

"And the difference is what?" James grunted angrily. He and Lily were in the Library and had been there for quite some time already. James had explained Animagi again, and Lily finally understood (or so she said) and now it was James's turn to "learn".  
  
"You have to put the emphasis on the right syllable." Lily sighed and demonstrated. "It's not 'per-BE-a-TUS', it's 'PER-be-A-tus'."  
  
James rolled his eyes and tried again. "PER-be-a-TUS."  
  
A soft giggle emitted from behind a nearby bookshelf. James stared over at it angrily. "Is something funny?"  
  
A rather short girl stepped out. She had light brown hair that fell just above her shoulders and her small, blue eyes were hidden behind intellectual glasses. Her face could only be described as 'modestly pretty', but an air of importance made her presence command attention- and get it. She smiled slyly.  
  
"Oh, nothing. It's just, you..." She paused when she noticed the threatening glare James was giving her. "You... two are just so cute together."  
  
James's frown morphed from a sour frown to a gigantic grin in a second; Lily's face did the exact reverse.  
  
"Well thank you for your input, but we need to be getting back to work. I definitely do not plan on staying here all night trying to teach an uncooperative toerag the simplest of happiness charms just because HE doesn't pay attention during class." Lily ranted. She needed some sleep soon or someone was going to get hurt and frankly she didn't care who.  
  
"I do TOO pay attention is class, just not to the teacher..." James attempted to bat his eyes bashfully at Lily. It didn't work.  
  
"Well, stop it." She replied, this time more subdued.  
  
"Would you like some help? With the tutoring, that is." The girl asked. Lily had nearly forgot the girl was there, but eyed her warily. The girl inched towards Lily carefully and whispered into her ear.  
  
"I was really laughing because he just sounds so... dumb, to put it bluntly."  
  
Lily gave a small smile despite herself and laughed appreciatively. She gestured for the girl to sit down across from her and James.  
  
"By the way, my name is L-" Lily started, but the girl interrupted.  
  
"I know who you are, Lily. Everyone does."  
  
"Do they? But-... uh... wha-? How?" Lily stuttered. She honestly didn't think people were that familiar with her.  
  
"Every girl know you out of jealousy, except me, of course, because you hang around with the Marauders."  
  
"Not willfully." Lily muttered.  
  
James ignored the last remark and kept the conversation going. "So, I assume you know I'm James." He waited for the girl to confirm this and continued. "And you are?"  
  
"The name's Cathleen. You can call me Cath or Cathy if you like. I'm a sixth year Ravenclaw. In your Herbology class, I am." she answered.  
  
"Well, thanks for the offer, Cathy, but Lily here..."  
  
"Is doing a terrible teaching job." Lily finished James's sentence, albeit in a completely different manner than how he had intended it to go. Cathy laughed again.  
  
"That's alright," she said, "not all of us were meant to be teachers."  
  
"Prongs!" came a loud, deep voice from the front of the Library. The owner of the voice was immediately shushed by at least twelve greatly disturbed individuals.  
  
"Sheesh," Sirius said as her slouched over towards James, his voice getting louder as he went to get back at those who shushed him, "You'd think they would appreciate a little study break. But no, they've all got sticks shoved so far up their a-"  
  
"Padfoot! You know Cathy? She's got Herbology with us." James interjected with perfect timing.  
  
"Funny, I've never noticed her. Ow!" Sirius had just received an elbow jab from Lily who mouthed 'be nice, talk to her.'  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes, but took the time look Cathy up and down. Truth be told, he had noticed her once. She had a nice enough body and that certain vigor dripping from her eyes, but he dismissed her when he found her not to be the type to fawn all over him.  
  
"Siri-poo!" Another voice, this one high-pitched and grating, came from the door. Another round of shushing came. Sirius groaned.  
  
"Man, Martha's barking mad, follows me everywhere. She won't leave me alone, that one... oh, hi sweetie..."  
  
Martha flashed a dreamy grin. "I thought we were going to have a picnic out by the lake." She said sweetly. She spotted Cathy and glanced at her suspiciously. "And who is this?"  
  
"Cathy, a Ravenclaw in our year." James offered.  
  
"Right," Sirius nodded, "And Cathy, this is Martha, my..."  
  
"Girlfriend. I'm his girlfriend." Martha finished and sneered in Cathy's general direction.  
  
Sirius was taken aback by Martha's rudeness and looked away with anger. "And as far as that picnic goes, I was only thinking of your figure, snuggle-butt. You had a rather large lunch and quite a bit of that ice cream I conjured for you." Sirius said, adding a light poke to her midsection.  
  
Martha's eyes watered. "Oh..." she said pathetically and muttered something that sounded like, "I guess I'll see you in the morning," and disappeared, a lot quieter than how she appeared.  
  
"That," started Lily, "was absolutely horrid."  
  
"You could've done better?" Sirius challenged, still somewhat irked by Martha's attitude toward Cathy.  
  
"Aye. Anyone could have. You have utterly no tact." Lily replied.  
  
"I don't need tact." Sirius winked. "That's why I have such gorgeous features." Lily furrowed her brow.  
  
"You're going to end up a bitter, lonely, old man!" She fumed.  
  
"But a handsome digger, nonetheless."  
  
James took this opportunity to save his best friend by taking Lily by the elbow and leading her out to the hallway with the excuse of a headache from so much work. Behind him, he heard Sirius so naively ask, "Was it something I said?" Once outside, James let her go.  
  
"I thought I told you not to drag me anywhere." She said gruffly.  
  
"Sirius's safety is important to me. I swear, he's had so many women, you'd think he'd learn about them by now. I was just kind of afraid you were going to take his head off in there... sorry."  
  
"No, no... it's ok. I think I might have. So, uh..." Lily cleared her throat, "thanks."  
  
"No problem," James beamed. "So, to the common room, then?" Lily nodded.  
  
They walked through the hall without talking. James's fingers brushed Lily's hand again, this time finding their way into it. James had only a moment to celebrate being able to hold her hand before she yanked it away.  
  
"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore." She said, embarrassed that he had seen as much as he had.  
  
"Ah, Mister Potter, Miss Evans. What is this I hear about you being nice to each other?" Dumbledore asked in a relaxed tone, but his eyes were very evidently excited.  
  
"Not being mean doesn't exactly translate to being nice." Lily huffed.  
  
"Well, then, civil. You were being civil." He corrected.  
  
"Don't go spreading it around."  
  
"Aha... anyway, you two are no doubt some of the smartest in your year. I've devised a little advanced workshop for the bright students. I'd enjoy it very much if you were to attend. Be there tomorrow night at eight sharp." Dumbledore bowed his head slightly and continued on his way. Lily knocked herself out of her daze and turned quickly.  
  
"Wait, Professor!" He turned toward Lily's confused visage. "You never told us where we are to be."  
  
"Didn't I? I suppose I didn't. Well, what with my age and all, you never can tell, I guess." He chuckled. "I needn't tell you now though. I'm sure Mister Potter has a certain way of knowing where I'll be." He emphasized the last three words and looked directly at James, who had a frighteningly shocked expression. "Hm? So, you two mut simply be together before that time." With that, he returned to his walking, leaving two very stunned students.  
  
"He must know everything... he even knows about the..." James whispered.  
  
"The what?" Lily prompted.  
  
"Er, nothing. It's... nothing."  
  
Lily looked skeptical. "But what does he mean? Obviously it's something."  
  
"It is NOT something. It is the opposite of something. Nothing is the opposite of something. Therefore...?" James said curtly.  
  
"It's nothing..." Lily finished hesitantly and James nodded. "Chimera!" she mumbled to the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
  
"Now, now, dear. Hold your temper." The Fat Lady warned, but Lily pushed right past her and once inside, rounded on James.  
  
"You're lying and I don't have to be a fool to know it. Don't think I'm dumb. I'm the opposite of dumb. Smart is the opposite of dumb. Therefore...?" she spat spitefully.  
  
"Don't mock me!" James whispered vehemently. "It's up to me whether or not to tell you and you don't seem very receptive right now!"  
  
Lily's cheeks flushed pink. "Why you ruddy little twit! You know perfectly well that it's your fault I'm angry in the first place!"  
  
"Oh, is that so? I hadn't the foggiest!" James retorted and crossed his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"Fine," Lily growled, "keep your secret. See if I care!"  
  
"Merlin, Lily. You're impossible!"  
  
"Oh, I'm impossible? Go soil yourself!"  
  
A heavy silence settled upon the room and Lily stormed up the stairs to the girl's dormitories where she knew James couldn't trick his way into following her.  
  
James flopped onto an overstuffed couch and ran his hand through his messy-chic hair.  
  
"One step forward, two steps back," he sighed.

-----

TeenTypist: Thankyou. Yeah... this time it's been over two months. You probably forgot about this, but I can't blame you, it's been so long and it probably is pretty forgettable. Hope you at least kind of like it still.  
  
MorphManiac: Of course I did! And I wouldn't mind if you contributed other ideas as my imagination seems to be on a dry spell (as you can see by how long I left this off).  
  
Tanya J Potter: Thanks! I KNOW this doesn't qualify as soon, but thank you!  
  
FrightninglyObsessed: THANK YOU!!!  
  
Auroraborealis: This time it's been longer... I've had tennis practice and such... but mostly writer's block, sorry. Thanks.  
  
I-Love-Orlando-390: Thank you and HAPPY LATE, LATE BIRTHDAY! This IS your present, but I accidentally sent it using one of those imitation postal services. First it got shipped to India, then Mars, then finally to you! Sorry it took so long, hope you enjoy. (PS, I love Orlando, too!)  
  
Luthein: Thanks. Do you mean the stars around some words? Those are supposed to put emphasis on some words. Don't get too bogged down with it if you don't get it because it's not that important.  
  
Gothic-Cutie-Blues: Thanks!  
  
Lily Lupin89: I struggle through terrible writer's block, that's how. Seriously, though, sometimes I dream about it and I wake up and start writing and this comes out. Not great, but I think I'm proud of it.  
  
Shayley Rain: This was not soon, sorry. I'm just not one of those writers who can crank out a chapter a day, or week for that matter. But, my classes are nearly over (one week, then exams!), maybe then I'll give quicler updates.  
  
kurtcobain4eva: Thanks! Doesn't MorphManiac have good ideas? She doesn't seem to think so, but she does. Yeah, I mourned the ten year anniversary. Wore my black Kurt shirt and spent the entire day listening to my whole Nirvana collection (I think I'm only missing one now) and reading through his journals and other books I have. sigh What a shame to lose him so young... 


	7. Would you like some company?

Hah! One week, that must be my shortest update time in like, ever!  
  
MorphManiac: I give you... the Remus Chapter! I tried to use both of your ideas, but the Remus part lasted longer than I expected it to, so I didn't get to your other James idea. I will get to it eventually, though. I'll probably put it in the next chapter.  
  
-----  
  
Lily stuck her head around the corner so that she could see down the stairs into the common room. James had fallen asleep sitting up on the overstuffed couch near the fireplace. The lost burning embers from the fire cast a sort of heavenly glow upon his face and Lily looked at him softly. He wasn't terribly annoying in his sleep, maybe even cute, she thought. She shuddered voluntarily trying to shake herself out of whatever it was that made her consider Potter to be cute.  
  
'_Well, he is_,' her conscience added.  
  
She sighed resignedly and crept past him and out of the common room. Without really thinking, she retraced her steps of earlier that night and went to the library. At least she could have a space to herself there. The only thing was- she didn't. As soon as she stepped into the library, she sensed a presence that, like her, did not welcome a disturbance.  
  
She edged in slowly, hoping that whoever was in the room with her would understand that she was willing to coexist peacefully. Somewhere in the depths of the potions section, a heavy tome closed abruptly causing Lily to jump. She took this as a hostile sign and turned back for the door.  
  
"No, it's ok. You can stay."  
  
Lily knew that voice. It was strong, yet reserved; quiet but powerful. It was-  
  
"Remus!" Lily breathed. Remus nodded curtly. "I'm sorry. I mean... I didn't mean to..." She tried. He waved her off and tried to get around her to the door. She didn't move out of the way.  
  
"You don't have to leave because of me."  
  
"I wasn't, rest assured. I was finished anyway." Remus said, his voice monotone.  
  
"Oh... well, could you at least tell me where I could find... a book on prophecies? It's for... my Divination class." Lily blurted out. She didn't even take Divination, but she had to think of something to get him to stay. For some reason, now she wanted company. Maybe it was because she thought it would take her mind off the puzzle that was James, or _maybe_ it was because of the particular person she had run into. Remus was always so mysterious. He seemed to have two distinct personalities: one in which he would joke with his friends, the other in which he would seem to be in his own little world, bored and tired. At this time, he appeared to be in the latter form.  
  
"Sure," he agreed in the same dull voice. He may have known that she didn't have a Divination class, but gave no sign that he did. He walked slowly and mechanically toward the Divination section, not looking or caring really whether or not Lily was following.  
  
"Here," he gestured at a few shelves in a row.  
  
Lily looked overwhelmed. She tried as hard as she could to just get him to say more, maybe stay a while.  
  
"There are so many... I wouldn't know where to start."  
  
Remus's expression remained unreadable,  
  
"Well, what exactly are you looking for?"  
  
"Er, I have to write a report about a prophecy that was made. You know... when it was predicted and by whom, what it's about and if it has happened yet. Stuff like that." Lily lied.  
  
Remus nodded and picked some books off the shelf. He thumbed through them, replaced two to the shelf and took down several more. He handed them off to Lily.  
  
"This should be a good start."  
  
"Erm, thanks," Lily shifted under the weight of the six very hefty books Remus had given her. Remus watched her struggle over to a table and his eyes softened. To Lily's delight, he spoke again.  
  
"Would you like company?" He asked lightly, settling on a cushioned seat in a window sill near the chair Lily chose.  
  
"Would I?!" Lily said a bit too enthusiastically for Remus's comfort. "I mean, that would be wonderful. Please. Thank you." Lily rambled. Remus lifted a book from the pile, opened it, and began skimming pages. Lily did the same, looking up every once in a while to view Remus, willing him to speak. When she finally gave in, he wasn't going to start up a conversation, she tried her hand at it- again.  
  
"So, do you come here often when no one else should be here?"  
  
"Mhm," Remus affirmed without looking up from the book. He flipped a page.  
  
"Me too," Lily stated, louder this time, hoping to engage his interest.  
  
She failed.  
  
"Hmm," Remus grunted. He flipped another page.  
  
"How is it that I've never run in to you here at night before?" She pried.  
  
Remus shrugged noncommittally and flipped yet another page.  
  
"Do you come here every night?" Lily had by now dropped the charade of reading and was all out staring at Remus.  
  
"Most," he replied and flipped more pages.  
  
"It's a wonder I've never come across you then," she went on, now talking more to herself. Remus agreed with a "yep." He began noisily turning more pages.  
  
"I'm not in her every night, though, Usually just during the full moon," the noise of flipping pages stopped, "it's easier to read with that kind of light. Still, it's odd I've never seen you here before."  
  
"Truly," Remus said stiffly. He cleared his throat and shoved the book into Lily's lap. "That page should help you. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I think I'll try to get to sleep. I suggest you do similar very soon."  
  
He strode quickly away, ready to break into a run once outside the door; he did, after all, highly value his privacy. Before he could open the door, he heard Lily's chair being pushed back and her footsteps come close.  
  
'What could she possibly want now?' he thought angrily  
  
She put a hand on his forearm and applied slight pressure to turn him around. "Thank you," she said slowly, "Good night."  
  
His set jaw went slack and for once he looked genuinely surprised.  
  
"Of course, any time. Good night... er, Lily," he replied uneasily, but held her gaze. She let her hand fall back to her side and watched as he left.  
  
"_Stupid_!" She yelled, smacking her palm on her forehead. "_Thank you. Good night_. How **completely** stupid!" She mimicked her own voice. She attempted to slam her head on the table she had previously been sitting at, but was saved by the soft pages of the book Remus had left open.  
  
The text was open to a page that gave a small biography of a (by the author's opinion) "highly underrated and underappreciated but still powerful and effective Seer." Lily read on to find out that this Seer, named Hilda Vongloosen-Beareguarde, showed early powers in the art of Divination by successfully prophesizing that she would be able to make predictions of the future. Her second known prophecy was that she would skin her knee, which came true in a matter of seconds when she fell from the tree in which she was perched.  
  
Growing bored of the biography, Lily turned the page and scanned through some of Hilda's recorded and fulfilled prophecies, which included a detailed account of her surprise birthday party ("Honestly, did they really think they could pull that off on _me_?") and all of her presents (an owl, a new set of scales, dress robes in emerald, silver, and turquoise, a dictating quill, invisible parchment- which she promptly lost- and the newest model broomstick available).  
  
Lily again grew bored and turned to the end of Hilda's section. It finished with, "Ms. Vongloosen-Beaureguarde has made more predictions in her lifetime that have yet to be completed. Since they have not been fulfilled, they can not be circulated, but there is record of one in the Ministry of Magic rumored to be of great importance. Hilda's own importance in history will remain..."  
  
Lily's attention drifted to the blank page that separated Hilda's section from that of the next Seer of the book. But wait- it wasn't blank. She could've sworn it was blank a minute ago, but not doubt there were words there now. Lily ran a finger over the words without actually seeing them. Her finger felt wet and a few letters that had been perfectly penned were now smudged.  
  
"It IS newly written!" Lily exclaimed. "But... how?" She glanced around wildly, thinking Peeves or some other ghost had thought to pull a prank on her. IT didn't seem that way. With bulging eyes, she looked over the parchment and read the newly acquired words.  
  
"A young buck and flower, previously pitted against each other by five years of hate will, willingly or otherwise..." Lily stopped reading for one simple and very logical reason: that's where the words stopped. "What? They will what? What will they do?!" She hadn't realized how loud she was being until she saw the lamp-like eyes of Mrs. Norris, Filch's trusty cat, round the corner and stalk about the library. Hurriedly she placed the other books back on their shelf and took off in the direction of the door.  
  
"A student out of bed?" She heard the slimy voice of Filch somewhere behind her. He must have secret passageways all over the castle! "Show me where the rule breaker is, my pretty. Listen for it... they can't have gotten far."  
  
Lily tip toed as fast as she dared to the door and opened it. Luckily it made no squeaking noises. Her hand was slick with sweat, though, and when she went to close the door, it swung quickly. To stop it from slamming, Lily jammed the book between the door and its frame. Unfortunately, she did more that stop the door, she also did a ruddy good job of getting the book wedged and unable to come out.  
  
She didn't want to chance squeaky hinges by opening the door again so she spent a second staring at her predicament and a good deal of time panicking. In the end, she figured if she got away with her life now, she could always come back for the book. With that decided, she started running and didn't stop until she was snug under the covers of her four- poster bed. She desperately wanted to stay awake and ponder the strange events of the day, but the very moment her head touched the pillow, she fell sound asleep. 


	8. Moving Picture

_James Potter sat on a train alone. Soon a woman with a drink cart entered his compartment.  
  
"Would you like to watch a film, Mr. Potter?" The woman asked him, trying to hint at something deeper.  
  
"No, no thanks." James replied and tried to get the woman to leave his compartment. He didn't know what she was trying to imply, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know.  
  
"Are you sure? We've got a lovely new one from Switzerland..." The drink lady pressed.  
  
"Oh? Okay..." James said, hoping if he agreed with her she'd leave him alone. The woman, whose name tag read 'Berta' tapped her wand against the wall opposite James and a picture appeared. The old face of Albus Dumbledore soon became visible.  
  
"Mr. Potter, it's time for your next mission..." The film version of Dumbledore spoke seriously. James listened as Dumbledore outlined the assignment and then was off in a flash on his broom. He scooped up an weak Lily amid fire and curses being shot at him and returned both of them to the train.  
  
"Well that was fast," said a bemused Film Dumbledore. Lily came to in James's arms and looked dreamily into his eyes.  
  
"My hero!" She yelled and immediately threw herself at him and kissed the living daylights out of him.  
_  
"Nice artwork, Prongs." Pete said while looking over James's shoulder.  
  
"Yeah," Remus added, "do you always spend the whole of Herbology drawing moving pictures of you and Lily snogging?"  
  
"I... no!" James colored a severe shade of red; his friends were not known to be the most forgiving of this topic. "Just this once," he said a lot quieter glancing down at the enchanted parchment. It had started the moving picture back from the beginning again and was at the part where the drink lady came in. James crumpled it up and tossed it by a rather intimidating plant.  
  
"Why don't you go over and talk to her. You never know, that fantasy may come true." Sirius suggested.  
  
"Nah," James shrugged, "She's been ignoring me all morning."  
  
"Yeah, she's talking to that Ravenclaw Cathy." Sirius nodded his head in the girls' direction.  
  
"You noticed."  
  
"Yeah... wait. I... no! What?" Sirius looked around wildly, confused as to how James got him to admit that.  
  
"Uh huh," James looked very amused. Hey, he wasn't the only one having girl troubles. "So, what _are_ we working on today anyway?"  
  
"Beats me," Pete looked uninterested. Sirius chimed in with a grunt that sounded vaguely like "I dunno," and Remus rolled his eyes at the three of them. They faced him expectantly.  
  
"Honestly, why am I friends with you?"  
  
"Aww, shucks Remmy-poo, you love us!" Sirius giggled.  
  
"Seriously Padfoot, you need some boundaries." Remus said, mildly disgusted by Sirius's apparent advances. "_Seriously_," he added for emphasis.  
  
"Don't even say it!" James tried, but he was too late.  
  
"I do everything Sirius-ly, don't I?"  
  
The retort was met with groans all around and plenty of "Not that again!", "Just stop there...", and "Will that joke never die?".  
  
After Remus flat out refused to share with them what they were they were doing in class, James wandered tentatively to where Lily was working with Cathy.  
  
"Hey girls," he started. Cathy gave a small smile but Lily continued prodding at whatever leafy plant she had in front of her. "How has your day been going?"  
  
"Mine's going well," Cathy replied as if James had said the most interesting thing in the world. "Right, Lily?" She nudged Lily closer to James with an elbow.  
  
Lily coughed. "Right. Yeah." She mumbled and went back to her work never once looking James directly James directly in the eye.  
  
"Don't mind her," Cathy whispered to James, once they were out of Lily's earshot. "She's just miffed about last night. She told me what happened."  
  
"Yeah, about that," James said uncertainly, "What exactly _did_ go wrong there?"  
  
"She said that in the past couple of days you've been pushing her to be nice and open about her life and feelings, but you weren't returning the favor. She said you kept a secret from her." Cathy explained.  
  
"What if it wasn't exactly my secret to share? Do you think you could tell her that?" James pleaded and didn't let up with the puppy eyes until Cathy agreed. He strutted back to his work table.  
  
"You find out what we're doing today?" Peter asked hopefully.  
  
"Erm..."  
  
"You talk about Lily instead?" Sirius sighed.  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"It figures." Pete and Sirius said at once. Again, all three turned to Remus.  
  
"Ok, ok! But next time you're going to pay attention and do it yourself." Remus broke.  
  
"Of course," Sirius said, eyes glinting. "Whatever you say, Moony. Now spill."  
  
"Right, well, this," Remus pointed at the plant in front of him, identical to the one Lily had been poking at, "is pennyroyal. It's a mint with several useful magical qualities and is a regular in potions trying to improve strength, power, and protection."  
  
"Yeah, and?" James asked dismally, so obviously not concentrating.  
  
"We are to harvest and transplant them." Remus replied brightly. He showed the others the cutting he had already clipped. "See? Like this. Grab here and lift it up; snip there. No, Prongs, don't hack at it..."  
  
James grunted, signaling that he didn't care one bit about how to properly prune the pennyroyal and continued. He haphazardly dumped the rest of the plant into another pot to transplant it. Remus made an expression of exasperation but decided not to push it because James didn't look too happy; Remus was well aware of the rule not to bother an angry Potter. He only wished he could remember to mention it to Lily one of these days.  
  
Shortly, the professor signaled that the class period was over and the students herded out. James wanted to hang back and talk to Lily, but it appeared that at that moment, Cathy was trying to convince Lily of James's sincerity. He resolved that it might help him in the end if he left them alone just now.  
  
"I suppose you're right," Lily was saying begrudgingly.  
  
"So, you'll talk to him then?" Cathy asked. She felt a little awkward. She didn't want to be too pushy, especially since she only just met Lily and they weren't exactly friends yet. Still, she wanted to keep her promise to James.  
  
"I guess... but what would I say? 'I'm sorry I flipped out on you last night, but that whole thing about the secret was something a prat would do.'?"  
  
"Well, I'd say it was a good start, except for the prat part." Cathy said nervously.  
  
Lily snorted. "Yeah... hey, what's this?" She had found James's parchment and unfurled it. The moving picture had just come to the part where Lily threw herself at James to snog him senseless. Needless to say, she was repulsed. "Is this really how he thinks of me, as some whore?"  
  
"Of course not!" Cathy exclaimed, horrified. Really, here she was trying to help the guy and he was digging himself deeper with crude drawings. Lily marched out of the greenhouse and into the school.  
  
"Wait, Lily! You're going the wrong way. Don't you want lunch?" Cathy called out to her.  
  
"Not hungry," Lily fibbed. "I've got to get something from the library anyhow." She slowed her pace once in sight of the library and entered. She looked around, confused. Everything looked so different in the daylight. Where was that section Remus had found the book in? She resigned to wander around aimlessly. Something was bound to look familiar.  
  
She turned a corner and saw the very boy she was hoping to see. Remus sat with his feet propped on a table and a large book entitled 'Cures and Concoctions for all Curses' in his lap. Lily cleared her throat and Remus looked up.  
  
"Lily?"  
  
"Uh, I was wondering if you could show me where that book was again, from last night. I couldn't remember... I thought you would know... You, uh... said last night that you could help anytime. That wasn't a dream, was it?" Lily added when she noticed Remus's curious veneer.  
  
"Oh, no. I said anytime and I meant it. Now, which book were you searching for, this one, perhaps?" He pulled a book off the floor where it had been sitting near the legs of his chair.  
  
"You had it ready?" Lily inquired.  
  
"Well, I thought you might be back for it." Remus mumbled.  
  
'_Did he just blush?_' Lily thought to herself after noticing the ever so slight pink tint that danced across Remus's face. If it had been, he recovered quickly, for Lily truly couldn't tell. Remus turned his face away.  
  
"So, I'd guess you'll be wanting to find James about now." He said, somewhat dejectedly, Lily thought, or hoped rather.  
  
"You'd be wrong." She tried to say it as calmly as she could, but it still came out spiteful.  
  
"Oh," was all Remus could say.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Would you like to go for a walk then?" he offered timidly.  
  
"I... sure." Lily accepted. "I'll have to check this book out first."  
  
"Take your time," Remus waved her off nonchalantly.  
  
"Lily nearly skipped over to the check out desk. That must have been the most Remus had ever said to someone what wasn't a teacher or one of his best friends- and it was to _her_! She squealed inwardly ad she placed the book on the desk.  
  
"'Modern Prophets and their Predictions'? No one has taken this out since the prophets in the book _were_ actually modern." said the librarian as she thumbed through the old, yellowing pages.  
  
"Really? Wow," Lily feigned interest, but really just wanted to get back to Remus.  
  
"Yes, there seems to be _quite_ the interest in this book lately. **Someone** actually tried to run off with it last night. Mr. Filch almost caught the culprit."  
  
"Imagine that," Lily said, trying to keep her cool. She managed to get the book checked out without showing any signs of guilt and met back up with Remus. Together they left the castle and wandered toward the lake. Neither spoke.  
  
Finally it looked like Remus was going to open his mouth to say something when they were interrupted by a scruffy voice behind them.  
  
"Hello, Moony, Lily. I think I can take it from here."  
  
"Right, Prongs," Remus sighed and ducked out.  
  
"So, I'm ready for an apology," James said pompously.  
  
"Alright," Lily said, perturbed that James had edged in on her time with Remus, "go ahead."  
  
James looked surprised. "No, I meant from you."  
  
Lily's eyes bulged. "For **what** exactly?!"  
  
"For last night... that whole misunderstanding..." He had started confident, but the threatening way Lily was glaring at him caused him to faulter.  
  
"Even if I **had** been in the wrong last night- which I **wasn't**- and even if I could **ever** consider apologizing to _you_ about **anything**, I wouldn't. You _disgust_ me!"  
  
"Oh, what now? There's always _something_ with you, isn't there?"  
  
"Yes, with _you_, there **is** always something because you are immature, insensitive, inconsiderate and just... plain _stupid_!"  
  
"You take that back! I may deserve some things in my life, but I **definitely** didn't deserve that!" James's noise level rivaled Lily's.  
  
This time, Lily didn't want to let herself over the roof for this. Instead of screaming back, she cocked her head to the side as if to say "_oh, yeah?_" and grabbed James's wrist. She positioned his hand palm up and smacked a piece of crumpled parchment into the centre. With that, she felt she had made her point and stormed away. James was almost too scared to look at the parchment- almost.  
  
He opened it up and saw the scene he had drawn that morning in Herbology, only it was different. As soon as Drawing James kissed Drawing Lily, Drawing James received a good, heary slap to the face. Real James winced in remembrance. This was Lily's doing.  
  
"_Bugger_," he muttered.  
-----  
It was eight o'clock that night and James strode into an abandoned classroom. The map had told him this was where he'd find Dumbledore.  
  
"Where's Miss Evans?" was the first thing he heard.  
  
"She's... not coming."  
  
"Is she feeling ill?" Dumbledore asked, concerned.  
  
"You could say that..."  
  
"Oh," Dumbledore said with realization. "It's good that you're giving her some time now, you know. Don't give her too much time, though, or she'll go looking to someone else. You need to do something dramatic for her, to show her you care."  
  
"How would _you_ know?" James grumbled angrily.  
  
Most professors would have been horrified by James's outburst, but Dumbledore shrugged it off and looked fondly at what could arguably be his favorite student. "I was young once, too."  
  
James surveyed his headmaster. Obviously the statement was true, _obviously_, but there was no physical evidence that hinted that Dumbledore had had a youth; nothing except his eyes. Amidst wisdom and experience, they glistened with a child-like exuberance.  
  
"Yeah," James nodded as if the more he nodded, the more convinced her was. "Yeah, you're right. Excuse me Professor, there's something I have to do."  
  
"Of course," Dumbledore said to James's retreating back. "That workshop can wait." James left the room. Dumbledore's lips pulled into a worried yet warm smile.  
  
"_You go get her_."  
  
A/N: Hey guys, as you can tell, I've pushed off the part about mystery and fighting, so once again, it will be mostly fluff. I can definitely tell you that the war vs. evil won't come up in the next two chapters (because I already have them written!) but I'll try to work it in really soon because I'm kind of running out of time to get it in. It's just that writing their romance is so cute. But if I seem to get off track, somebody remind me that I have to write the danger in eventually. Also, I don't want to be one of those people who give an ultimatum for reviews, but I will anyway. I would like at least 10 reviews before the next one will be posted. (I'll end up posting anyway most likely, but those review are really nice...)  
  
Lily Lupin89: Hah! You just wait until the next chapter; I think you'll really like that one... I've had it written for days and can't wait to get it up!  
  
MorphManiac: Do you feel even more loved now? I didn't know how I'd fit your... stoned revelation into the story, but I did, and I think it turned out rather nice, don't you? I'm glad you like Remus. I wanted to write him more serious because you would think that if someone was carrying around a secret like he was, you'd need quiet moments to yourself like that, right? And the "completely stupid" scene... yeah I took it from real life. I had that same moment a few weeks ago... embarrassing... And about that prophecy. I realized later that having said young in front of buck made no sense because buck already means young stag... but oh well. You get it (now) and other people get it so it works.  
  
TeenTypist: Thank you. I have the whole thing worked out. You wouldn't believe how long it took me to word it and it still sounds corny...  
  
Revi: That's the great part, YOU DON'T KNOW YET! HA! It's all up to me! But wait for the next chapter, I think it's cute...  
  
Abby11101: OMG THANKS!!! That made me SO happy!  
  
Awesome islanders: Thanks! I've been getting better about an updating schedule, too. I think I settled on once a weekend. 


	9. I was trying to be romantic!

A hand floated outside the window into the dorm room Lily shared with three other girls (with whom the only conversation she had had in over five years was "_Whose turn is it for the bathroom?_"). As if stepping out from behind a curtain, an arm came out as well, followed slowly by a body on a broom. The hand opened the window.  
  
"Lily!" James whispered. When he didn't get a response, he tried again. "Lily!"  
  
"What?" she cried groggily.  
  
"Do you know what time it is?"  
  
"Too bloody early!" She pulled the sheets back over her head, either to block out the light or the noise; probably both.  
  
"Come with me!" he begged.  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"I want to apologize."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Keep talking..."  
  
James cleared his throat. "I realize now that what I said yesterday was not the nicest or smartest..." –Lily coughed loudly- "Ok! It was immature, insensitive, and inconsiderate, just like you said. I didn't mean to upset you with the drawing, and I didn't mean for it to insinuate that you're easy. Trust me, I _know_ you're not easy," he added under his breath. With no sign from inside, he continued.  
  
"I only meant it to show how much I... want you; that some day I hope you're at the point where you _want_ to kiss me that way. I'm sor-"  
  
At that moment, Lily stepped out from behind the drape and onto the balcony.  
  
"Hi," she said shyly.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Well?"  
  
There was a pause. "Do you actually wear that to bed?" James inquired, motioning at Lily's long night dress. The skirt fell to her ankles, had a high neck and full sleeves. He chuckled.  
  
"And just like that, the moment is ruined." Lily sighed. "You were doing so well until that mouth."  
  
"Well, I was just saying..."  
  
"No, you were implying that I should dress like a hooker when I go to bed! I'll have you know this is _very_ comfortable."  
  
"Is it? The neck isn't restricting? The sleeves aren't too hot? The skirt doesn't get all tangled?" James knew he was right by the shocked expression playing on Lily's features, but decided not to argue any further; the morning was already getting off course and he was barely ten minutes in to it.  
  
"Never mind. I didn't mean that to be insulting. Just... hop on. I want to show you something."  
  
"Hop on?" she said hesitantly, eyeing the broom with a strong dislike.  
  
"Yeah, get on the back, I'll take you there. It won't be that bad if you hold on tight. I can protect you." He chirped sweetly.  
  
"I think I'll pass."  
  
"Oh no you don't." James brought the broom closer to the ledge and put his hand out. "It'll be ok, I promise."  
  
There was something about the way he said it, or his eyes, or his smile that just made Lily want to believe him, so she did, simple as that. She took his hand and climbed on to the back of the broom, breaking about ten school rules in the process. The strangest thing about the whole ordeal, Lily didn't care about the rules.  
  
"Hold on tight!" he yelled back to her mere seconds before they were zooming off into the distance.  
  
"Where are we going?" Lily managed to ask without throwing up.  
  
"There," James pointed to the largest tree by the lake, but Lily didn't see; she was concentrating on not looking down. She had a death grip around James's waist and her eyes were now clamped shut. Had it been less tight and uncomfortable, James might have enjoyed having Lily so close to him. As it was, he was liking the idea of getting back to the ground.  
  
They landed perfectly just feet from their destination. The first thing Lily set about to do once she felt solid ground beneath her was to run to the nearby bushes and dry heave. James held her hair and tried not to look too turned off by the retching noise.  
  
"Lily wiped her clammy brow and looked at James- well, around James, she couldn't exactly look at him after he had just witness perhaps her most embarrassing moment. "So, what did we come here to see?"  
  
"Come here," he directed. He took her hand and led her to a blanket ringed with cushions and pillows. "We're here to see this." He turned her whole body to face east. The sun was gracefully peeking out from behind a hill in the horizon, sending brilliant pinks and golds shooting through the heavens. Lily let out an audible gasp.  
  
James pointed somewhere in front of them and Lily looked; clouds hung in the sky spelling '_Lily_'. It was beautiful.  
  
"Did you do that? And this?" Lily indicated toward the clouds, then the set up of blankets and pillows.  
  
"Maybe," he said elusively.  
  
"Come on!" Lily poked him in the ribs playfully.  
  
"Hey, come off it, I was _trying_ to be romantic."  
  
"Were you?"  
  
"I was."  
  
"Did you?"  
  
"I did."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"I... uh... think so. I'm confused." James confessed. Lily giggled and poked him again.  
  
"It's wonderful. I don't know if it's the time of day or just you, but this is... _perfect_." Lily watched the sun rise slowly and streaks of glorious light danced around.  
  
"I'll have to make sure to always catch you in the morning. You're more agreeable." James poked her back.  
  
"Oh am I?" she asked ominously.  
  
"Except when you do that." James concluded, not backing down.  
  
"Very true. I suppose I can be quite moody then, can't I? But I'm a girl, what can I say... what I _can_ say is, beyond this moment in time, I'll deny with every bone in my body that this ever happened, or that I was this nice to you." She admitted.  
  
"I'm fine with it having just happened. No one had to know."  
  
Lily's head turned abruptly. '_Did he just say that?_' she thought, '_There's no way he cares more for me than his reputation... or his libido...?_'  
  
"To end our moment, let's seal it with a kiss." James suggested, pathetically, some may have said; others would have preferred the word 'desperately'. Lily would have used either.  
  
"Take me back to the castle, you big oaf." She joked.  
  
"Right away, milady." He tried to act gallant. He mounted his broom.  
  
"On second thought, I think I'll walk back." Lily said hurriedly.  
  
"It's a long way away, and you could get caught by staff." James warned in a sing-song voice. Lily sighed because she knew she was beat.  
  
"Fine, but go slow," she ordered, but changed her mind. "No, go fast. I want to get this over with."  
  
James sped her back to her window and dropped her off with a whispered "_good night... er, morning_," And flew away to his own window. What he found waiting for him was two awake, and mad, Marauders.  
  
"James Potter, you had us scared to **death**!" Sirius mimicked a worried mother, right down to the finger shaking.  
  
"Do you have **any** idea what you put us through?" Pete put his hands on his hips. "You're in big trouble, son!"  
  
"You guys, push off," James groaned as he simultaneously took off his shirt and headed for his bed. "'Morning, Moony," he called, but his only response was a loud snore. James threw a pillow at Remus. The snoring subdued.  
  
Sirius and Pete berated James with more parental lectures than his real parents did. That is, until he threw his remaining pillows at them and curled up under his blankets. He was just starting to get comfy again when Sirius pounced on him.  
  
"What now?" James complained. He pulled the covers down past his face so he could see a very happy Sirius. "What?"  
  
"_So_... did you kiss her?"  
  
A/N: Ok, last chapter had so many typos, I tried to do better this time. Did I? Oh and, I did ask for ten reviews before I updated, but really, I'm not that demanding (and I don't want to leave it for after I'm going on vacation, that would be mean.)  
  
Oh yeah, I'm going on vacation in a few days, so if next weekend's update is a little late, don't be mad!  
  
Revi: Thanks! I like the jokes, too, but I need to learn how many times I can get away with having him use them before it gets old...  
  
Summer15: I LIVE for comments like that! That was so nice, thank you!  
  
Windrunner: Thanks!!  
  
IloveMoony04: Yay, thank you!  
  
Trumpet-Geek: Adorable is good! If everything else was adorable, what was THIS chapter? Whoo!  
  
Lily Lupin89: Actually, I don't have to write for a few more weeks, as now I have up to chapter 11 written (that one's going to be REALLY long) And I can honestly say I finally got to the danger part. Yay!  
  
MorphManiac: I absolutely love getting to your reviews. They amuse me to no end. But I must say I've missed trying to fit your ideas into chapters. So, here's what you have to do: get yourself in a... weird state and come back to review. Then, say the first things that come to your mind and I'll try to find a way to put them in chapter... Ah! The closest I can get is in chapter 12, because the two before it are already done. Well, whatever. You don't have to give me any ideas after this chapter. Whenever the oddities come to you... you know. 


	10. I thought we were going to Hogsmeade

A/N: This took a little longer to get online than I had hoped. I blame it on vacation and internet problems. But it's here now! YAY! I guess I'll change my update schedule to the middle of the week instead of weekends now.  
  
It was Saturday and Lily had a luxurious, lazy morning- or at least she wanted to. All four Marauders were taking turns screaming "Lily flower!" up the staircase to the girls' dormitories for at least two hours. You'd think they'd have grown bored of it by then. Alas, there was no such luck. Lily thought if she ignored them long enough, they would go away, but the other girls remaining in the dorm were beginning to get flustered. Really, it had been cute an hour ago when they made up little ditties to coax Lily down; it had been cute half an hour ago when each did jigs at the bottom of the stairs; it had even been cute fifteen minutes ago when they gathered blankets and pillows, made a 'fort' and proclaimed that they would camp out until Lily came down, but this was ridiculous!  
  
There was a mutiny in which Lily was grabbed, dressed, and shoved out of the dorm into the common room. A round of applause came from the fort; Lily glared malevolently. James smiled cheerily and extended his arm.  
  
"So, I was thinking we'd go to Hogsmeade today."  
  
"Who's we?" Lily glowered.  
  
"The five of us," James pointed at each of them, and in turn, the other three Marauders bowed goofily. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"There's no way I'm putting up with all of you for an entire day, especially not this particular one!" She panicked. "Not by myself. If you insist on taking me," she paused and the boys inserted excited nods, "then I won't go without..." Lily looked around the common room, but didn't find any friendly faces. "Uh... Cathy! Let's get Cathy to come."  
  
"Smashing!" Sirius cheered. He then cleared his throat. "Right, then! On we go." They all skipped to the Great Hall, well, Lily didn't skip. She shuffled moodily behind them, but she did find it highly amusing that the boys were confident enough in their masculinity to go prancing about the school like a bunch of pansies.  
  
Once in the Great Hall, Lily approached the Ravenclaw table and found Cathy immediately. She proposed the Hogsmeade trip; Cathy looked very excited and thanked her for the invitation.  
  
"You know," Cathy said uncomfortably, "I've never actually had a friend."  
  
"Lily looked skeptical. "Really? Well, I haven't either, not really." She glanced at the Marauders. "Then consider me your first."  
  
"Done!" Cathy replied.  
  
Lily sat down at the Ravenclaw table; both she and Cathy were overcome by a stunned silence.  
  
"So," Cathy said.  
  
"So," Lily repeated, trying to fill the awkward silence. "What exactly do friends talk about?"  
  
"Oh I don't know, anything, I suppose." Cathy shrugged.  
  
"Ok... well, I don't know too much about you. Let's start there." Lily said.  
  
"Alright, what do you want to know?" Cathy grabbed a pear from the fruit bowl near her and then offered the bowl to Lily. Lily plucked an orange off the top thankfully.  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Lily said while struggling with the peel of her orange, "Why don't you start with your family," –tug-, "and what you like," –tug-, "and what you don't like. _Oh for goodness sake_!" She grabbed her wand out of her pocket and expertly peeled the orange. She smiled in triumph over the poor, defenseless fruit.  
  
"Brilliant!" Cathy commented on Lily's performance. "Well, my parents are both magic, muggle born they were, though. My older brother's a squib- ruddy angry about it, as well- but I have a younger sister who's a first year now. Her name's Nicole and she's in Slytherin."  
  
"No!" Lily gasped.  
  
"Aye. It's a bloody mystery. My mum and dad were in Ravenclaw like me, and I hear houses tend to run in the family. That was has always been a bit strange. You've any siblings?"  
  
"One," Lily winced, "Petunia. No one in my family has had magic. Petunia and I used to pretend we did, though. It was great fun until we found out it was real, for me, at least. When she found out I had something she didn't... she got jealous, even though she'll never admit it. She became a different person then. I..." Lily became a little choked up and paused. Even as those words- those terrible, hurtful words- were tumbling out of her mouth, she couldn't understand why they were, after all, she barely knew this girl. She just couldn't stop herself.  
  
Cathy noticed Lily's pained expression and jumped in to save her. "Maybe that's enough sharing in one day," she said in a soothing manner. Lily nodded. Cathy wanted desperately to change the subject, for Lily and herself. "Porridge?"  
  
"Mhm, thanks."  
  
They settled into silence again, this time eating, and this time, it wasn't awkward. They smiled jovially and when it suited them, they slipped back into conversation about the trip to Hogsmead. Cathy couldn't wait because, as she informed Lily, she already needed new quills and ink.  
  
"That sounded awfully dorky." Cathy laughed.  
  
"No," Lily said, trying to be polite. Cathy raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Oh, come one, friend make fun of each other."  
  
"Well that doesn't make much sense." Lily looked confused.  
  
"I guess it's because it shows you're comfortable enough to _not_ be on your best behavior." Cathy mused.  
  
"Ok... in that case, dorky. It was definitely dorky."  
  
Cathy stuck her tongue out but smiled. Before they were able to chat anymore, they were joined by four boys, each grinning widely.  
  
"You gals ready to go?" Sirius asked and smacked his hand on the table. Lily jumped.  
  
"Erm, yeah."  
  
"We're ready."  
  
"Splendiferous." James shouted, his arms raised to the enchanted ceiling in an overdramatic motion. This granted stares from all over the Great Hall and snickering from the Slytherin table. Instead of blushing and making himself inconspicuous, he jumped on the table and did a little spin move, all the while chanting, "Let's go!". Lily made up for his lack of blushing and pulled him down. She would have chided him, but he tore out of the hall faster than... well, whatever it was, it was fast. Lily and Cathy got a scary ride as they had been grabbed by James and Sirius respectively when all the boys ran from the room. The girls were both surprised when they stopped in a hallway near a statue of a witch with a hump on her back.  
  
"I thought we were going to Hogsmeade..." Cathy said. The boys laughed knowingly.  
  
"Close your eyes." Remus clapped his hands together, a huge, child- like smile plastered across his face; Lily didn't see it. She was too busy glaring at James.  
  
"I don't trust you." Lily pointed in the general direction of the boys, but specifically looked at James, through squinted eyes.  
  
"We're not going to _do_ anything to you," Pete whined. "Except take you to Hogsmeade," he added as an afterthought.  
  
"We have a secret way to get there," James answered the girls' quizzical looks.  
  
"And Miss Goody-Two-Shoes Prefect over here can't know all of our secrets." Sirius said jokingly.  
  
"James is a prefect _too_ you know." Lily pointed out. The boys didn't look at all daunted by this.  
  
"It's not the same."  
  
"He's... a special prefect."  
  
"Corrupted, you mean?" Lily asked.  
  
"Not so _harsh_ a word, but yes..." Pete said, looking uneasily at James to gauge a reaction.  
  
"You called me James!" he exclaimed, however quietly.  
  
Lily heard and sneered. "You make a big deal about it and I won't."  
  
"Of course, Miss Evans. I wouldn't dream of it." James said formally, but his face was still screwed up in a love struck fashion.  
  
"Alright, enough warm and fuzzy, mushy gushy stuff. Close your eyes so we can get on with it." Sirius said anxiously.  
  
Lily shot James one last withering stare and closed her eyes, reluctantly, when Cathy jabbed her lightly with an elbow. She stood with her eyes shut, feeling very vulnerable, getting more nervous with every passing moment.  
  
'_What could they possibly be doing?_' Lily shuddered to think what the four boys could do within that short time unsupervised. She hugged her arms around herself in hopes that it might protect her from whatever they had planned. She was caught completely off guard when two strong arms grabbed her about the waist and hoisted her into a tight hold. She squirmed, but didn't struggle. She rationalized by thinking that she wouldn't have gotten far, but part of her brain felt comfortable with the warmth of the embrace and the spicy citrus aroma of her 'captor'.

-----

A/N: Ok, the conversation between Cathy and Lily was kind of weird, but I wanted it to be that way. Too many fics have Lily meet someone and then automatically they're best friends. Almost nobody is like that, so I tried to make it a bit more realistic. Either that, or I really like to put my characters in awkward situations. Anyway, this chapter was kind of short, the next is REALLY long, so get ready for that. 

And as for this chapter... who's the 'captor'? Nobody knows except me! Is it James, Remus, Sirius, Pete, or... Cathy? Hey, you never know, Cathy may have strong arms...

You know what to do, review! Please? I really want to get the counter to at least 60 reviews by this chapter. 50th reviewer will get something special (maybe).  
  
**Trumpet-Geek**: Thank you!! Will I be able to top it? I really don't know, and frankly, I'm scared.  
  
**Nexiumchick**: Well, they WERE getting along nicely... they DO seem to bounce around, huh? Thank you, and there will be more stuff on the prophecy later.  
  
**Thor god of thunder**: um, okay. I tried. I was hindered by vacation.  
  
**MorphManiac**: Wow... you need sleep. Either that or some kind of strong caffeine. Either that or some kind of strong sedative. Either that or... ok I'm done. I hope you did well on that audition! Oh and btw, I tried to review the epilogue of your story. I don't know if it came out because the computer was acting up, but I always can do it again if it didn't come up.  
  
**TeenTypist**: Thanks, and that's quite ok. Did you have vacation? Was it nice? I had vacation too... as you can tell by the delay of this update.  
  
**Lily Lupin89**: Uh, thanks I think. YAY!  
  
**Swt Chry 2oo5**: Thank you so much. I've already got the next chapter written too, and it's double the length! Yay for double length chapters! Yay for me having no life! Yay for me shutting up!


	11. Those people are called Death Eaters

A/N: Yeah... how long has it been? I'm sorry, but you can all thank LilyLupin89 for kicking my butt into gear with one conversation. Apparently guilt is a great motivator. This update is dedicated to her.

-----

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Lily whined. She was getting impatient, and righteously so. It had been at least three quarters of an hour since she had first been picked up. She wasn't being carried across smooth terrain, either.

"In a minute," James' voice came from somewhere in front of her. He was the best of the boys at maneuvering the tunnels so he had been voted to go first.

'But if he's up there guiding... who's holding me?' Lily thought. She cheated and opened her eyes just a bit. She sighed in frustration when she realized she had to wait even longer while her eyes adjusted to the dim light provided by James' lit wand up ahead. The suspense was killing her! She could see the outline of a strong jaw set in an expression of concentration.

"Remus?"

He was so startled he nearly dropped her. "Lily! I mean... you weren't supposed to..." he stuttered and subconsciously stopped walking. To reassure him, Lily brought her hands behind his neck and hugged tight, pretending to steady herself. Or maybe she wasn't pretending. She brought her face close to his ear.

"It's alright. It's like I never knew..." She thought she felt him shiver under her breath, but it was gone in a moment. They caught up with the group ahead of them in a hurry.

"We're here!" James announced from the front of the line. Lily was put down and officially allowed to open her eyes. She peered around and saw Cathy being put out of the grasp of a reluctant Sirius. They all ascended a ladder and found themselves smack dab in the centre of-

"A sweets shop!" Cathy exclaimed. "How delightful!" Five sweets-craving teens flocked to the counter, but Lily hung back.

"I... haven't much money," she explained painfully to their curious stares.

"Nonsense," James said, pulling her towards the counter, "You don't need to pay. It's on me... as a birthday present."

Lily gasped. "You know?"

"Lily dear, of course. I know a lot of things I shouldn't," James responded with a wink. Lily just looked shocked.

"Ooooh! Happy sweet sixteen!" Sirius shrieked. "Does this mean we get to party?"

"No... uh, no. That's quite alright actually." Lily declined, although she had a lingering feeling Sirius wouldn't listen.

"At least let us get you gifts." James pleaded.

"But-"

"Oh, come on," Cathy groaned, "It's your birthday! We're allowed two things on your birthday: humiliate you in good fun and spend a lavish amount on you."

"I..." Lily thought, weighing her options. "I'd really rather skip both, thank you."

"You're no fun," Pete accused.

Lily sighed. "Fine!" The group cheered but she cut them off. "But if any of you buy me something overly extravagant I will _not_ accept it."

"Deal!" They chorused.

They left Honeydukes each carrying large sacks of candy, Lily's compliments of Pete. Their next stop was Madame Malkin's Robes where Cathy purchased herself new work robes and two dress robes for Lily- one green to bring out her eyes, and one cream to compliment her complexion. Lily was speechless.

From there, they trouped to Zonkos. Sirius insisted on loading Lily with a starter kit of tricks for a practical joker. It included (among other things) a hologram device, several stink bombs, balls of energy which erupts into faux flames upon contact, and candies that could turn one's skin any color. Lily politely thanked him, but _highly_ doubted she'd ever use them. Sirius _highly_ anticipated otherwise.

Next, they visited a book store. Lily, Cathy and Remus wandered around with interest, but the rest were bored out of their minds. By the time the former group was finished, the latter had set up camp in the store window to play with sock puppets. The store owner wasn't pleased. James, Sirius and Pete were forced out of the store to wait until Lily finally emerged with her two new treasures (a book on ancient Egyptian magic and another on wandless magic), both present from Remus.

Soon they were off again, all very curious as to what James would give Lily as a gift- even James.

"Are you much of an animal person?" He asked as they approached Eeylop's Owl Emporium. Lily shook her head.

"Not really."

"How about broomsticks?" He was starting to get panicked. His present had to be perfect!

"You're kidding, right?"

"Oh yeah." There was a pause in which James looked suddenly very excited. "To the Three Broomsticks then, eh mates?"

Perplexed, five people lagged behind James as he made his way to the pub. He got a table and placed an order for a round of butterbeer.

"I'll be right back," he said eagerly and scurried.

"I wonder what he's planning," Remus mused.

"I'd be scared," Pete joked.

"He doesn't have to go to this much trouble," Lily said, seeing James run animatedly around the restaurant.

"It's James," Sirius said. Obviously this was supposed to explain things. Lily looked confused so Sirius finished. "It's what he does."

James returned, just after the drinks were served, looking very proud of himself. "Here," he said simply, presenting Lily with a plain envelope. She looked at it with surprise before gently ripping it open and peering inside.

"A... 'Get Out of James Free Pass'?"

"Well, yes," James smiled adorably. "If there's ever a time when I'm bugging the bloody hell out of you, you just hand me this and I'll go away. It's guaranteed to keep me at bay for a full... two hours?"

Lily frowned slightly.

"How about three?"

"That's wonderfully sweet," Lily gushed.

Sirius leaned over toward Remus and whispered, "Now he's expecting a 'Get In to Lily Free Pass' in return!"

"_Padfoot_, that was revolting!" Remus jumped out of the booth.

"Aw, come on, I was only kidding..."

"We're leaving." Remus said curtly. He said one last 'happy birthday' to Lily and left.

"Well, we've got to get ready for bed. Yeah, that's it." Sirius excused himself and dragged Pete out behind him.

"I guess I'll be going then, too. Don't want to be the third wheel. Besides, those guys are my short cut back to the castle." Cathy said. Lily didn't object.

"Finally they're gone." James breathed.

"Why?" Lily moved backwards, not sure if she should be frightened or not.

"So I can give you your real gift," he said, as if it were (see bottom in AN) the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh."

"Go on, open it," James urged as he pushed a long, thin, velvet box in front of her. Her face was frozen in a stunned expression. Lily pushed off the lid. Her breath caught in her throat.

"It's..." she lifted a long gold chain out of the box.

"A necklace," James finished for her. Lily found the pendant and touched it with one trembling finger. It was a circular diamond with a teardrop shaped sliver of jade below it. Lily found her voice again.

"It's gorgeous."

"You're happy then?" James asked fervently.

"Well, yes! But..."

"But? There's no 'but'. There can't be a 'but'." He started to get nervous.

"We agreed this morning that no one would buy me anything too fancy..." she started, tearing her eyes from the beautiful jewelry. "And this is just beyond..."

"Well, what if you could owe me?" James tried.

Lily stared at her feet, unable to look him in the eye. Didn't he know she had no money? Didn't she already have to embarrass herself by saying it once today? "I have nothing to offer you in return."

"Not true. You could owe me one kiss, payable whenever you wish, and I would accept that." Oh, he hoped beyond hope she would agree.

"... Ok," she said slowly. James reminded himself to do a happy dance later.

"Would you like me to put it on you?" He asked, trying to hold in his excitement.

"Sure, thank you."

James clasped the necklace around Lily's throat, fumbling once because he wasn't used to jewelry and a second time because he wanted to stall to breath in the sweet aroma of her hair- mint, a nice clean smell.

Together they walked out of the pub and on to the street. Lily shivered- the wind had gotten colder than she remembered. James offered her his cloak and she gratefully took it, after putting up a fight as to his well-being, of course. If James didn't know better, he would have called this almost a date. The mood was shattered by a scream in the distance. An explosion followed in quick succession, then another scream. Witches and wizards ran past them frantically.

"I wonder what's going on..." James muttered. Lily's face echoes his thoughts. They strained to see what happened, as anyone would do, but soon wandered toward it, as only stupid people do.

Flames licked at the roofs of three old buildings on the street and a dark, blanketing smoke billowed out, making seeing difficult. Around the corner, the profiles of six hooded figures became slightly visible within the smoke, giving off a menacing feeling. Lily's hand grew clammy.

Footsteps echoed on the cobblestone road as the figures drew closer. The stench they brought with them was as horrid as the grating sound of their laughter. Laughter, at a time like this? The thought made the hair on the back of James' neck stiffen.

"Lily..." James spoke softly, as if he thought speaking louder would turn the unknown wizards against him. "I think we should..." James tried to push her in the opposite direction but she was rooted to the ground in some kind of scared awe of sight in front of her.

In that moment there was an angry eruption of sound and light. The two squeeze theirs eyes shut to shield themselves from the brightness and their hands flew to their ears to block out the noise. The street rumbled beneath their feet. When the sensation finally subdued, they opened their eyes to a feeling of utter confusion. Their senses were topsy-turvy- neither could make out which way was up or down. James stumbled backwards, trying to get his bearings. His heel hitched on something soft behind him and he fell, almost in slow motion, with lights still bursting in front of his eyes.

He landed with a thud onto something cold and lumpy. His curiosity overrode his common sense and he contorted himself to see what he had fallen upon. The need to be sick rose in his throat and burned in his queasy insides. He had fallen upon a man, but not a normal one in any respects.

The man was crumpled in an awkward position with his arms spread and his legs twisted and thrown to one side, sticking out at odd angles. There was a sharp indent in his chest that was bloodied and the robe surrounding the gaping wound was soaked in dry, blackened blood. His head hung flaccidly to one side, limp and lifeless, faintly coloured a ghastly tint of blue. What hair hadn't been singed off was plastered to his face by the remnants of a cold sweat. His mouth was open in a forever silent scream, copying his wide open, bloodshot eyes.

James' mind was spinning. '_Dead... blood... smell... fire... **Lily**_!'

He reached up in one swift movement and found Lily who was still eerily spellbound. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her away. His head jerked side to side in a frenzied attempt to find cover. Lily pointed at a dilapidated store front and James wasted no time getting there. The heavy door hung off its hinge and groaned in protest when James strained to open. They shuffled in, but poked their head around the door to watch. It was like a terrible car wreck; they couldn't help it.

Above the din, an infant's cry reached their ears. Lily's brain had long since shut down and she ignored her better judgment. She ran madly in the direction of the crying. She jumped over the sprawled bodies of men and women that had been disposed of in a similar fashion as the man James had found. Seconds felt like minutes as she sprinted closer to the baby, but she never got close enough. Another sound reached her ears- the aggravated voice of a man under a hood.

"ARG! Stop that incessant crying!" he yelled in a low, guttural growl. He looked threateningly at the child, seemingly unaffected by its age and innocence and screamed, "_Avada Kedavra_!" A sickening green beam of light shot out from the tip of his wand.

Then there was no noise, save for the crackling of the burning buildings. Soon a terrible, grating laugh joined the cacophony. Lily whimpered, at a loss for what to do, it seemed her motor skills had finally deserted her. Before one of the hoods could see her (and consequently deal with her as he had dealt with the baby), James darted out, scooped her up, and carried her into a close by alleyway.

"Don't _do_ that!" He scolded. "Here, now you can't slip away again." He pressed his body against her so she was sandwiched between him and the wall. He was too flat out afraid to think about anything other than her safety, his brain- or, his glands, rather- didn't even register their close proximity.

Sweat beaded on Lily's forehead, but with James squashed against her, she had no leeway to move. Tears stung at the corners of her eyes, remembering what she had just witnessed. Her breathing turned heavy. James put a hand over her mouth to quiet her fearing that any sound would attract the hooded men. There they stood, panting ever so quietly, for what felt like hours, waiting for the hooded bunch to leave.

At the soonest moment they could get, they dashed to Honeydukes that they had first arrived in at the beginning of their trip. James didn't force Lily to close her eyes. Instead, they struggled through the tunnel and emerged on the other end. They headed for Dumbledore's office at a dead run.

"Licorice wands!" Lily wheezed and they gained entrance, Dumbledore saw their faces and immediately that the terrible was true.

"Sit down," he offered, though it was more like an order. They complied, unable to do anything other than what they were told at this point. Dumbledore's face betrayed the intense battles raging inside his mind, but it appeared one side finally won when he instructed one of them to tell him what happened. Lily found her voice first.

"Sir, we were in the village and... these people in hooded cloaks came. At least one was male, I heard his voice. They burned the building and cursed people... and the baby... he killed a poor little..." Lily choked up. She couldn't finish. James placed his hand on her forearm in a calming manner.

"Miss Evans, those people are called Death Eaters. They are followers of a man who calls himself Voldemort. They are a group of people who believe in the value of pureblood heritage. They think it's their duty to rid the wizarding world of magic folk from muggle descent."

"Like me," Lily whispered, barely audible. Dumbledore's eyes softened. He was torn between telling the honest truth and sugar-coating the facts. The truth won out.

"Unfortunately, yes, and they have made attacks like this before. Worse, they will do it again. That's why I called you to talk to me."

"B-but you didn't. We c-came ourselves." Lily stuttered.

"Oh? But do you recall that workshop I invited you to?" Dumbledore stared at them intently and suddenly his pupils understood. There is no workshop. There never was. He had been trying all this time to get them so he could warn them, although, a warning would never have done as much as seeing for themselves. After all, seeing IS believing.

"So, now that we know this... may we inquire as to _why_ you've decided to share it with us?"

"That is the result of one of the most difficult decisions I've ever been faced with. You two, young though you are, are to lead the opposition."

Lily fell off her chair. "_What?!_"

"It's alright, Miss Evans, we all have that faith in you. Both of you."

James cleared his throat. "Not that I'm objecting, but why did you pick us? Why not someone older, with more experience? Why not... people with a more _stable_ relationship?"

"I picked you two because you are smart. Understand that older doesn't mean wiser, I believe you to be mature enough. And, Mister Potter, a relationship between coworkers in this field needn't be steady. In fact, it is much preferred to have a passionate relationship. Ah, Miss Evans, hold your tongue. I did not specify which kind of passion it had to be, just as long as it's there. It doesn't have to be love. It could be competition, if you so choose." Dumbledore said sternly when Lily made to object.

"Furthermore, the two of you represent a sort of yin and yang balance. You are opposite in personality and background. James, as the man, is a pureblood and acts on heart and impulse. Lily, as the woman, you are muggle born and base decisions on logic and critical thinking. The equilibrium brings the best of both worlds together. Do you now doubt my decisions?"

Neither Lily nor James spoke. The Headmaster smiled grimly.

"It seems that I am asking a lot of you, I fear that I may be. But, in truth, I don't believe it to be anything more than what you can handle without the necessary preliminary information and training, of course. This is what I want you to do: over the next few weeks- months, perhaps- you must come up with a plan of attack. Fresh minds on this matter will do loads more good than us old'uns. The Death Eaters are used to our ways of thinking by now, that's why we need you to breath life into the Order.

"You'll plan for the attack as myself and others learn more information. You need to be ready quickly, though. The time could be next month or at the end of the year. There's no way to know for sure. Go, now. You may take sufficient time to adjust to the idea, but I urge you to prepare soon." He wet his lips and surveyed them carefully. Sucking in one long, shaky breath, he finished.

"Good night, sleep well." With that, Lily and James left, shocked. The pair stayed silent until they were almost at the common room.

"I most certainly will _not_ sleep well after that." Lily huffed, more saddened than angered, really. James nodded in agreement.

"I feel as though I could never have fun again." He said somberly.

"And me as well."

"Do you _ever_ have fun?" James asked, hoping that poking a little fun would lighten the mood. Apparently, Lily didn't appreciate his choice.

"I _do_, just not _your_ kind of fun," she countered defensively. They reached the portrait. "You're all into pranking and flying about and kissing..."

James gave the password (pumpkin pasties) as Lily rambled on.

"... and all those awful, noisy, wild..."

The portrait swung open revealing the Gryffindor common room packed with students. Confetti shot out and they all yelled, "_Surprise!_" Lily's eyes were wide with alarm.

"Parties," she finished her rant softly.

"Happy Birthday, Lily!" Sirius said as he bounded over. "Do you like it?"

"It's... certainly something. Thank you, but I really need to go to bed. Sorry."

"Oh no you don't. Think of all these people you'll be disappointing." Sirius gestured towards the students dancing to the blaring music.

"Er... I don't think they know or care that I'm here. I hardly think they'd notice if I duck out." Lily saw the disdain on the girls' faces when they looked at her. Ah, the jealousy. It was in fact very true that none of them particularly relished the idea of celebrating Lily, but the cardinal rule of serious teens was that any excuse to party was a god one. They all knew they had to take advantage of it.

Lily dodged Sirius long enough to get to the stairs up to her dorm. Before she went up, James caught her by the elbow.

"At least _try_ to sleep well, ok?" he asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"I... ok," Lily agreed. She then jogged half-heartedly midway up the stairs, only to turn around and go back. "Uh... thank you," she said to James' feet, "for everything." What she did next was completely unexpected. She reached her arms behind his neck and pulled him into a brief hug. James was so stunned, he didn't have time to react before she let go and ran away.

"You're welcome," he whispered to the emptiness in front of him, all thoughts of Death Eaters and fires gone from his mind now that those stupid butterflies had returned to his stomach. She had that way of making him forget things and be blissfully peaceful. He had a sneaking notion that one day that would get him in trouble, but he had no time to worry now. He was in the blissful state, so peaceful that he no longer noticed the thumping noise of the song or the bodies moving to the rhythm or that fact that Sirius had migrated to a corner and had proceeded to hold a snogging session with the first girl that wandered over. One only had to guess what was going on in his head.

'Good bloody thing Marla isn't a Gryffindor. Wait, Marla? Martha? Oh, it doesn't matter, she's done for anyway. Now... about _this_ girl...'

-----

A/N: Ten pages, baby! I hope it was worth the wait. Ok, so, I'm always a bit self-deprecating about my abilities to write a scene like the one with the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. Please, even if you say nothing else in a review, tell me how I did in that respect.

(Directed from in the story) I've gotten into huge debate on this past participle. Some people tell me you can only use 'was', but I've read it correctly edited using 'were'. If anyone cares enough to help me out with this... go ahead.

TeenTypist: I liked that line too... Ok, so earlier I couldn't remember if James or Remus was a prefect, but at the beginning of this story I just put it as James because I know he became Head Boy.

Swt Chry 2oo5: Thanks! You're my 50th reviewer!!! confetti and balloons

MorphManiac: Thanks, and I hope you got the one I sent for you to make up for the one that didn't show up...

Brighton Baby: Aw, Thank you!

Trumpet-Geek: Phew! I was quite worried! Thanks!

Sweetaccent: I'm glad you agree with me, and sorry this took so long, I'm a terrible procrastinator.

Foxy089: Yay! Thanks!

LilyLupin89: I dunno... sometimes people are just hyper, like me right now. You should have seen how fast I typed this thing!


	12. I solemnly swear I am up to no good

Lily sat on her bed. She was alone, and for the first time in her life, she wished she wasn't. Every other Gryffindor was downstairs partying. She had entertained the idea of joining them, but she just couldn't get Hogsmeade out of her head; the fire, the screaming, the crying and the death...

She shuddered and hugged her cloak closer to her body- but wait, it wasn't her cloak. It smelled different, more masculine. She breathed in the familiar warm, musky scent- James. It was then that she realized she still had his cloak on. Her hand flew to her neck to caress the delicate piece of jewelry hanging there and she smiled just a little.

She giggled and reached into the pocket of the cloak where she had stored the 'Get Out of James Free' Pass. It really was such a silly, trivial thing, so she wasn't sure what she thought was so special about it.

'_It shows thoughtfulness_,' the voice in her head offered reasoning not too radical for Lily to accept, '_and maturity but with a child-like charm_.'

As she pulled out the little coupon to admire it- after all, it was beautifully decorated in crimson and gold with pictures of Lily and James on opposite ends of the card- another parchment that was in the pocket was brushed out and tumbled to the floor innocently. Lily looked at it, sure it wasn't hers, but curious about it anyway. She bent over to pick it up, anticipating what Marauder secrets it might hold. Stifling her breath, she unfolded the paper to find-

"Blank?" She cried, completely disappointed. Still, she wasn't daunted. As much as she hated to admit, James wasn't stupid. As far as she knew, the paper could still divulge Marauder secrets, but only to people smart enough to get it to do so.

She brandished her wand in front of her and faced off with the offending parchment. She thought for a moment, then tapped the paper and whispered '_revealio_' with perfect diction. The paper in her hands remained unblemished for only a second longer, but the primary results did nothing to improve her mood.

_Mister Prongs would like to inform you that you can't see the contents of this parchment without the proper password... and would also like to add, don't you look smashing tonight?_

The tidy scrawl filled the page slowly and was soon joined by four other tidbits.

_Mister Moony would like to remind Mister Prongs not to hit on the "customer" and fellow prankster._

_Mister Padfoot would like to agree, as this is the job of the one and only Mister Padfoot. He would also like to say, 'how **you** doing?'._

_Mister Moony would like to apologize for the repulsory attitude of Misters Padfoot and Prongs._

_Mister Wormtail would like to be the only possible help by saying the password is 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good,' which must be stated while tapping your wand to the parchment, Miss Lily._

"Finally, something I can use!" Lily exclaimed, excited that it had been that easy, but disturbed nonetheless. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Around the point where her wand tip touched the paper, ink began to spread out in a ripple effect until it reached the corners. When it had finished, Lily discerned it was a map of sorts, of Hogwarts and its surrounding grounds. Little dots symbolized people and were labeled as to which of the people they represented. Each dot was placed in the precise area on the map that its assigned person was in the school.

_Lily Evans_ was in her dormitory. Every other Gryffindor was packed into the common room, making for very little space for labels, resulting in names being squashed together. Even with this difficulty, Lily was able to tell which other Gryffindor was absent from the party- _Remus Lupin_ was in the library. She should have guessed.

She spent a good deal of time contemplating how she could get through the common room unnoticed. Without realizing, she stared blankly at the map, and without her moving, her dot began making its way to the staircase.

"What, it's showing me where to go?" she wondered aloud. Nevertheless, she followed where the map showed she had already gone. Her dot paused just above the stairs to the common room; so did Lily, she was standing in front of a tapestry depicting the night sky. A dialogue bubble came from _Lily Evans_.

_'Rescindere.'_

As if by an unseen hand, the tapestry began lifting from one corner to reveal a porthole large enough for Lily to squeeze through. She looked at it hesitantly before launching herself into it.

_'Merlin,' _she thought to herself, squirming with the tight fit, _'I sure could stand to lose a few pounds.'_

She wriggled through the tunnel and came out from behind another tapestry just down the hall from the portrait of the Fat Lady. Lily brushed some dust off of her and attempted to smooth the wrinkles in her robe. She repined her prefect badge so it would be more visible- she could always fall back on the alibi of prefect duties in the case of being caught.

She glanced down at the map to make sure everything was still in proper order, but it wasn't. A little dot labeled _Mrs. Norris_ was just around the bend in the corridor. Lily panicked; just because she could lie for an excuse didn't mean she would let herself be found. She didn't want to be delayed by having to explain to Filch, nor did she want him to find the map which, as of yet, Lily had no idea how to erase.

She turned in the opposite direction of the library and broke into a dead run. She jogged through hallways she was sure had been long forgotten, classrooms which had long ago fallen into disuse, and staircases that moved while she was on them. Overall, she did a splendid job of getting herself lost. Finally, she admitted that she needed help and took another look at the map.

'_Lumos,'_ the bright tip of her wand illuminated the parchment and made it possible to see in the gloom. Slowly she traced a path until she was again in familiar territory, but continued to check the map, making sure any staff couldn't interrupt her, and most importantly, making sure that Remus was still in the library.

Lily watched the dot for a while as she walked. It was almost as if she expected it to say something to her- and it did. Just like when the map had shown what Lily was going to say, a dialogue box appeared next _Remus Lupin._

_'Biblio Apo Lykos.'_

Lily had no idea what it meant, however, it was clear that the language was not English. '_Maybe it was a spell?'_ she wondered, _'but why would Remus have the need to cast a spell at this hour, alone in the library. Perhaps he's practicing for something? But what?' _She mused with another look at the map.

She had the sudden urge to let him be alone, but the feeling didn't last long. She crept slowly into the library, purposely making enough noise to announce her presence, but too little to create a disturbance. Shuffling sounds reached her ears and she knew he had understood her message.

"Good evening," Remus' voice rose from the shadows in the normal detached fashion that Lily had grown accustomed to when no one was around.

"And to you," Lily responded in the calm tone that she had learned to use around Remus when he was in this state; shrill and excitable voices sometimes jarred him into uneasiness during times like these.

"My apologies fir skipping out on your birthday celebration."

"There's no need. I skipped out on it, too. It was all too..." Lily started quickly but found herself unsure of how to finish.

"Loud?" Remus offered. "I've found the pace of those parties tend to dizzy me. He means well, Sirius does." Remus explained. Lily simply nodded in agreement.

"I anticipated your arrival, you know," Remus said while pretending to examine his fingernails. He chanced and look at Lily who had flushed a light shade of pink.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I snuck down to the kitchens and nicked you a treat." The trace of a boyish grin played across he mouth at this statement.

"Oh?" Lily repeated. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to this information and, frankly, that one word was the only thing she trusted herself to say in the current situation.

"Happy birthday," Remus said, and revealed a single cake that fit in the palm of his hand. A solitary candle was squashed in the center and was emitting a soft glow that lit up Remus' features spectacularly from beneath. He plucked the candle from the cake and held it away from them.

"Well, give it a taste."

Lily did as she was told and bit into the warm, moist cake. She couldn't put a finger on any individual taste, but the mixture was absolutely heavenly. Without meaning to, she moaned with delight. Remus tried to mask his giddy smile while Lily finished the miniature cake.

"Make a wish," he commanded as he held out the candle closer to Lily's face. She giggled lightly and her eyes slid shut.

'_I wish I could be less of a bumbling idiot around Remus,' _she thought and blew out the candle with one steady stream of breath.

"What did you wish for?" Remus asked automatically.

"I... don't remember..."

"Then how will you know when it comes true?" Remus posed the question with a playful innocence, clearly not believing her. Lily was about to reply when her sight caught a fleck tarnishing Remus' immaculately clean robes.

'_Oh no, is that cake?! Did I spit that there!?! Talk about bumbling!' _Lily's face heated rapidly and her eyes bulged. Obviously the wish wasn't coming true now! She tried to draw attention elsewhere by responding to Remus with as much grace as she could muster. To her credit, it was more than a paranoid person could have called up at this moment. She played coy.

"Well if I told you, it may never come true."

Remus winked at her. "Ah, no, that's a common misconception," he said in a mock teacher tone. "There's a loophole. If one first spits cake on another during the making of the wish, the person wearing the cake gets to be privy to the details of the wish."

Lily's jaw dropped. Her face rouged uincontrollably.

"I... it...er, sorry."

He laughed and brushed the crumbs off his shoulder. Lily let out a few forced laughs before shutting her mouth abruptly.

"Don't be embarrassed," Remus soothed, "Sirius does it to me all the time."

Lily pursed her lips, pretending to be very insulted.

"Why, Mister Lupin, I daresay, that better be the last similarity between myself and that heathen that you are planning to point out!"

Remus put his hands out, faking fear. His eyes were alight with mirth. "Of course, Miss Evans. Never again, ma'am."

Lily practically melted on the spot.

The two wandered over to a window, still chuckling, and propped themselves on the ledge where they both could sit and gaze out onto the grounds which were drenched in a wash of moonlight.

"It's almost the full moon," Lily mused. In that second, she could almost feel the energy sucked from the room.

"Mhm," Remus grunted, once again distant, his face significantly more pale.

"Romantic, isn't it?" she ventured, perhaps more bold than she dared.

"How so?"

Lily looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"What about it is romantic?"

'_This_,' Lily nearly said.

"Er... its beauty."

"What_ exactly_ is beautiful about a giant rock floating in the sky?" Remus said contemptuously.

"That's only the very literal-"

Remus looked at Lily with a challenging expression. She wrinkled her forehead.

"Well, its light, for one, is..." she tried, but was cut off.

"It doesn't have a light of its own. It's merely reflecting the sun's glow." Remus snapped irritably. "Not to mention that the light itself isn't pretty. It makes everything look sallow and ghastly. Besides, there are plenty of stars in the sky to take care of the need for light. To have a moon is superfluous."

"It is not. The moon regulates cycles like the tides..."

"And others," Remus whispered, almost inaudible, "those that are less pleasant."

"Such as?" Lily prompted. She wasn't sure she liked where he seemed to be going with this. "Are you trying to hint that I'm... acting out of PMS?" she said bluntly.

Remus blanched. "I... no... of course not... what I meant was... you see... uh," she stammered with uncertainty.

_'Idiot!'_ he chided himself soundlessly.

Lily may have at least been slightly amused by his uncomfortable, even bumbling, state, but she was too alarmed by his sudden mood shift from hot to cold. She was quite sure she'd never get used to it.

"Right, well I suppose I should get going. I wouldn't want to deprive the party of its guest of honor." Lily lied. Remus merely nodded, unable to think of a coherent string of words that would apply. Lily walked away in confusion, wondering what nerve she had trod on to deserve that. The hint of a tear stung at the corner of her eyes, but she blinked it away. She began carefully making her way back to the Gryffindor tower with no intention of rejoining the party.

A/N: Yes, it's been a while, but you can't be mad because I've been posting other things in between. Right. The next chapter will be another double length one, so I can get the whole Remus thing out of the way. That'll come in about two weeks... I hope.

TeenTypist: Thanks! Actually, the puppet bit wasn't in my original copy of that chapter, but as I typed it up, it came to me like something they would do. I'm glad you liked that it was Remus carrying her. I thought James would be too obvious too. I felt bad about the baby... but it did work well, didn't it? And the passion speech, man that took me a long time to get right. Not that I can say I got it all right. Well, I made my point. Thank you, thank you!

Anne-Evans89: Thanks! I think so too.

Lilchocolatechip011: Thank you.

MorphManiac: YAY! I was so worried about the Death Eater scene... And about Dumbledore, sorry if it came across that way to you. I wanted to have him explain this, but I guess I rushed his speech. I'll try to keep him less encyclopedic from now on. By the way, if you were to give me some kind of idea for the next chapter... I miss trying to fit weird things in here. Next chap has to do with the Halloween dance...

Lisitea: And I did. Apparently I take requests now. Just kidding, I always do... eventually.


End file.
